The Dark Light
by Cur Sombre
Summary: Jaune Arc faked his transcripts and was soon found out and betrayed by all his friends. Having a near death experience takes away his purity but in some cases becomes better for it. Follow as he leaves his friends behind to become better than they ever were with new problems and dangers. The new teachers he meets are closer to the origin of his problem but takes it nonetheless.
1. Prelude Part 1

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Drip...

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Drip...

"Suicide... didn't think this was how my life would end... I should've expected this though..."

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Drip

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Drip

"But still... it hurts so much..."

Hello.

My name is Jaune Arc and I am a student of Beacon... or at least I was one.

Now... I'm just on the grounds right outside Beacon with blood pooling around me. I can almost hear the silent dripping of blood leave my body if I focus hard enough.

You are probably asking yourself... why would I do this?

I mean, it's not like I lost everything...

Well...

You would be right...

But also, you would be wrong...

For you see... I may not have lost everything...

But, I lost the most important thing...

My friends...

"Jaune!"

"Jau-"

Flashback... two weeks before failed suicide attempt...

It has been two weeks since my transcripts have been discovered. They still haven't forgiven me.

"I'm sorry... please! Forgive me..."

They wouldn't even let me look them in the eye as I asked for forgiveness.

The entire school soon found out afterward and since then they have treated me unkindly. A failure I should attest as my desk is marked with permanent ink,,,

I was later confronted by Ozpin, the Headmaster himself. But, he reassured me that he knew of the fake transcripts. He even told me to stay even though the rest of my classmates hate my guts.

For some reason, I wanted to believe him when he told me that I had potential and that my willingness to become a hunter has made the teachers find me endearing.

So I stayed... even if things didn't get any better from there.

Right now, I am on the way to combat class.

Really, I was entertaining the thoughts of just... ending it, you know?

It doesn't help that my aura seems to agree with me... with all the cut marks on my wrist leaving evidence of my shame.

When I entered the class just as the bell rang, eyes from every corner of the room glared at me. But among the sea of stares, there was but one who doesn't seem to find me a complete waste of time. But sadly, I can't find them.

I walked towards the corner of the room, the safest spot I can take my seat as others keep avoiding me or throw sneering remarks. I've become accustomed to their jeers and the ones who keep tripping me over had made it a challenge to cause me even more harm before our teacher arrives.

In this case, Yang is the one who successfully trips me this time. It wasn't like it was that hard as I was mostly minding every other foot out trying to trip me on the way too.

I looked up and saw her smiling. I would have returned the smile at any other time if it wasn't for the fact that her eyes were red. It wasn't hard to see the emotions in them, ones I have become accustomed to Anger and Joy.

Her anger is from the fact I was even near her and her joy is probably caused by the fact I looked the fool who tripped over himself.

Laughter echoed out as I lift myself up. The only ones who weren't laughing were teams RWBY and NPR.

It wasn't difficult to notice the reason why as they were wearing heavy frowns and disappointed looks.

I try not to tear up in front of them.

But every day has become a challenge not to break in front of everyone around me...

"Silence!"

Glynda Goodwitch shouted furiously to the rowdy crowd. The class was silent after that. "Mr. Arc, please take your seat."

A noted the concern on her tone but I shook my head. I got up and head for my seat. I kept my head down as I try to ignore everyone else.

The class went on as normal as soon as I sat down. A match was being decided as I controlled my breathing. Try and get myself psyched up for the class, you know?

Near the end of the class, there were only a few people left who haven't been selected to fight... until my name was called that is...

"Jaune Arc, please come down to the arena," Goodwitch called. I head my way down the steps as I turned to the screen to see who was going to kick my sorry butt this time... only to choke. "Ruby Rose, please come to the arena."

Great.

I had to fight Ruby.

The one person who was probably the angriest among all my friends.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't fight.

But I didn't have a choice.

So, I willed myself to move towards the arena to get the match started. We went our separate ways as we changed to our combat gear. On our way back, I saw Ruby already there with her scythe deployed and everything. I took my spot and made a stance, praying that this match would end sooner rather than later.

"Begin."

And just like that Ruby started her onslaught.

A swipe here and a slash there as I tried to avoid or block the ongoing strikes.

Soon, I found myself disarmed as my shield went flying. It was then I had to endure pot shots at me to try and lower my aura. Some of them were aimed at spots that sent shivers down my spine and nearly caused me to vomit. I was powerless from the assault as my aura neared the red. At the last moment, for reasons I'll never find out, she decided to finish the fight with a swipe towards my armor.

The swing hits me. But not only did it hit, but it also took my breastplate along with parts of my shirt and hoodie.

I stood there shirtless.

My mind froze as it processed the fact that my bare torso was exposed for the whole class to see.

All over my arms... were very clear cuts and ugly scarring around them.

You could practically hear a pin drop from the sudden silence around me.

The implications for the numerous scars on my arms aren't lost to anyone.

All eyes were on me and my body starts to shake. However, the one that finally broke me was the look on Ruby's eyes as they widen with shock.

I couldn't take this anymore.

I ran out of there with what strength I had left.

I didn't stop running.

I couldn't stop.

It was too much. The pain was too much and I couldn't bear it anymore.

So, when I finally made it outside I was on my knees desperately gasping for air in tears.

It hurts so much... I wasn't wrong!

I-I wanted to be a hero so much that I cheated my way in...

It isn't wrong to want to become a huntsman... it isn't wrong to want to become a hero...

So... why does it hurt so much to keep going...?

These questions run through my mind as my vision clears and noticed my sword still held in my grip.

Without really thinking about it, I raised my sword towards me... the point directly towards my chest. With one deep breath and stealing my resolve, I plunged my blade deep into my chest.

I felt my world go on fire as blood spilled my lips before I started violently coughing out blood.

I fell forward, my head meeting the cool hard ground.

So this is where I am right now, remembering the last few days of my life as my blood was leaving my body.

I felt my eyes go heavy as death waited at the other side. I can feel a coldness take me away and I was about to reach out when I heard a noise.

"Jaune!"

It was from Miss Goodwitch. She ran towards me as soon I saw her stockings hit the floor beside me. I lifted my head up slightly... or I tried to but I was losing my strength. So my bleary eyes as hard as they can to focus and look at my concerned Professor.

As I did, I saw our strictest teacher showering my face with tears.

"Jaune... Jaune, listen to me." She called as her hand was placed on my cheek. It was warm, I silently thought as I absently stare at her. "Stay with me, please. I already called for help so you have to hold on."

Was that fear laced in her tone?

"M-Miss Goodwitch... I-I'm s-s-sorry..." My head was getting heavy as I choked out my words. "S-sorry fo-for-for be-ing-" I hacked as blood spilled from my lips, "a... fai... l... u.. r.. e..."

"Jaune?"

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"Jaune!?"

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"Jau-"

 **Hi everyone and welcome to this short entry of my first fanfic story. I'm not going to give a lot about myself but I can say that I'm a high school senior and anything other than that is my personal biz. Anyway, I know that this idea is used often and all the other fanfics like this one are dead or given up on but I promise to try and be better. I may not be a great writer but I can still try to satisfy some people with this.**

 **I'll try and update when I can but with school, it could be every week or longer. I don't want to get hopes up but I first want to test the waters of this and if it turns out pretty good then I'll try and get more consistent. Feel free to give me reviews but if you have something bad to say please to don't say it or at least try not to sound mean. Also feel free to tell me about spelling errors or what I could do to make the story better. Bye!**

 **BTW: There is going to be a relationship with Jaune but waiting to the story gets a bit bigger before I start with the poll.**

 **Beta Corner:**

 **Story Revised 1-30-2019. Hope you guys enjoy it.**


	2. Prelude Part 2

"Jaune? Jaune!? Jaune!"

Glynda cried as she tries to wake up Jaune's still body.

Jaune was unresponsive but Glynda steeled his nerves and poured her own aura to try and jump-start his own. At first, there was nothing as she pushed her aura into his body. It was when she used nearly half her aura that there was a response from Jaune. The white aura around him was fainter than she remembered but it was something.

With reassurance that he at least has a bit of aura to help him, Glynda carried Jaune bridal style and ran towards Beacon's Infirmary. Luckily, the sword was lodged tightly into his chest so his wounds weren't aggravated.

It was with a bit of effort using her semblance to open the door while holding Jaune that she reached the Infirmary. She called out for help as she gently places her student to a free bed.

"Is there anyone here!? There's been an accident!" She called as someone came out from the restroom. Surprisingly, it was Professor Peach and she was surprised to find Jaune in bed uniform soaked red in blood.

"What happened?" She asked as she turned towards Glynda. She was a little shorter than her with a light shade of pink hair and light brown skin. Her pink eyes flashed between her and Jaune before focusing on Glynda again.

As a professional, Glynda gave her accounts of what happened.

"I found him with a sword in his chest. He..." There was a bit of hesitation but even she cannot deny the possibility of what he did, "He had his sword between his hands."

The implication isn't lost on Peach as her eyes widened. It wasn't unheard of for students to commit suicide but it rarely happened within school grounds. Fortunately, someone found him before things became too dangerous.

"Okay, alright... take him to the ER. I'll have the room prepared for operation." She ordered as she turned to prepare some anesthetics and gauze.

Glynda didn't waste time as she used her semblance to carefully transfer Jaune to the ER room. It was a rarely used room but it was installed with the idea that getting students to the nearest hospital may not be a possibility. Luckily, the room justified the increase in their budget allocation as it saved the lives of multiple students in the past. Hopefully, it will save the young knight as well.

As Glynda gently laid Jaune down on the operating table, Peach came in carrying surgical equipment.

"We need to remove the sword. Unfortunately, his aura has already closed the wound around his chest. We need to re-open his wounds and get the word out. This is time sensitive, so as soon as I pull out the sword you need to apply pressure on the wound."

It took them a while but they managed to dislodge the sword from Jaune. Blood was flowing freely once again from Jaune's wounds but they were lucky that his major organs were beginning to heal and the sword missed major arteries that could cause internal bleeding. As Glynda applied pressure around Jaune's wounds, Peach puts an IV drip on his arm and a blood transfer to replenish his lost blood. Peach took over from Glynda as she used her aura to transfer to the young knight to heal himself. As her aura was being transferred, Glynda began to stitch the wound closed.

After a while, Jaune's wounds began to close and his aura was beginning to mend the cut.

"Okay, that's good. I'm going to inject him with an aura replenishment to boost his aura recovery. It will hopefully help his aura heal him faster."

Peach moved away from Jaune before returning with a needle and injection. The fluid went into his IV, entering his bloodstream and there was a notable glow from Jaune that caused both professors to sigh in relief.

"It's done. I'll stay here to look after Jaune. You go and call Ozpin to tell him what happened." Glynda smiled with relief and left Jaune in Peach's care. Glynda headed to the Headmaster's office and give her report of the tragic incident involving the school's endearing knight.

Several hours have passed before Jaune began to slowly open his eyes. The bright light in the room made him groan as he adjusts his eyes. The first thing he saw was the white ceiling. His first thoughts are if this was the waiting area in Heaven before his soul was judged. The pain in his midsection told him otherwise.

"Where am I?" He asked no one in particular as pain shot through his body.

"Ah good, you are finally awake." A familiar voice called out from his side. Jaune turned to see Ozpin standing in a corner, a steaming cup in hand and a contemplative look on his face.

"Prof. Ozpin," Jaune called warily with a slight headache assaulting his faculties. "Where am I? Why am I here?"

A frown adorned the emerald wizard, "I'll be straight with you, Mr. Arc. Miss Goodwitch found you in the courtyard, a sword stuck to your chest."

Slowly, the memories are beginning to return to him and he began to realize what he had done.

"What I wanted to ask you right now is..." Ozpin had taken a deep breath before he continued, "Why would you resort to something so terrible?"

There was a concern in his voice. It was never easy for the headmaster to know a student has taken their life. It isn't any easier saving said life and asking them why they did it. The same can be said for Jaune. There was a sadness there that Ozpin was hoping not to see within their school life. The reality, however, decided to remind them that their hopes were a fallacy; hence, the case of the young Jaune Arc.

Jaune himself looks ready to cry. But he managed to speak despite feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, "Have you ever felt like... every day that you live, that you exist... you are a failure? That who you are before is better than who you are today?"

Ozpin said nothing so Jaune continued, "Because every day of my life it has been like that... ever since I was a child I was looked down on by people who saw my weaknesses." His voice was beginning to break but he continued. "I was bullied as a child. Stepped on by those who are better than me and be constantly reminded of it. Some were my age..." Jaune's eyes turned empty as he stares absently. "Some were not."

Ozpin was troubled by the revelation of Jaune's past. So he voiced his concerns to the young knight, "What about your family? Do they know anything about this?"

A hollow laugh echoed the room as Jaune put his head between his hands, "It got worse when they got involved."

"Once they were found out they got craftier... using means to harm me in the most inconspicuous of ways that my family never knew about the continued harassment." Jaune breathed hard as memories of his past have begun to resurface.

"I got unlucky one time and my sisters and one other person found out. I made them swear not to do or say anything as their actions will make things worse. No one else knows, not even my parents."

The sorrow held within Jaune's tale can be felt by Ozpin. "Who was the other person?"

"Me." Another person called, their voice calling commanded for their attention as both turned towards the source.

"How do you know Mr. Arc, Miss Goodwitch?" Ozpin asked as Glynda closed the door behind her. She turned to Jaune who looked miserable.

"I was a family friend. I became acquainted with Jaune's mother way back."

Ozpin was surprised to learn of such a connection to the young Arc. He knew that she was entitled to her privacy and didn't ask any further.

Instead, Ozpin turned to Jaune and asked his questions.

"Why didn't you tell your parents about this?"

"If they knew then they wouldn't allow me to follow my dreams. The experiences I went through solidified my resolve to follow through with it, to be a hero who would protect the people from harm... and to get stronger."

Jaune was openly crying now. His tears garnered sympathy from the staff of beacon.

"My parents have pampered me for a long time. It made me weak and vulnerable than they would realize. When I finally headed out on my own, to get into Beacon... they didn't believe I could make it."

"You said your sisters and Miss Glynda knew about your situation. How did they found out?"

"I-I... I don't want to talk anymore,"

Jaune clammed up but Glynda encouraged him instead.

"Jaune, please tell him."

Ozpin reconsidered his actions after what Jaune went through.

"No Glynda, if he doesn't want to talk then I don't want to force him. But," He continued as he took a sip from his lukewarm cup. "I'll continue with my questions. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to, Mr. Arc."

"About your scars, how did you obtain them? They look fresh,"

Jaune was silent for a while. But both professors were patient with him and Jaune knew they wouldn't let this matter go. They were good like that, caring for their students. Jaune chose the lesser of two evils; he didn't want to tell them about his past but he resolved to answer Ozpins questions at least.

"I was cutting myself about a week ago... after... after the others turned on me."

"Wouldn't your aura stop you from hurting yourself? Also, wouldn't they heal and fade away because of your aura?"

"Yes... you're right, my aura did stop me from hurting myself... the first few times but after a while, I managed to stop it from protecting me. Once I got cut, my aura would begin to heal me but I would give myself fresh new cuts." A slight chill entered the room at the implications of Jaune's actions. "My aura seemed to take the hint that I didn't want them to heal so it stopped healing my cuts altogether."

"Why would you do such a thing!?" Glynda screamed with fear in her eyes.

"So I could punish myself... for all the trouble I caused."

Stunned silence. It was the only way the two could react to such a dangerous way of thinking as Jaune admitted to his actions.

"One final question, Mr. Arc." Ozpin decided to continue before he stopped himself from continuing. "How did this all start?"

Jaune regarded him with an empty gaze.

"You already know though, Professor."

"Yes, but... I want to hear your side in this. I don't mind the length of your account."

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"Okay,"

It all started two weeks ago, about halfway into our first semester in Beacon...

 **Beta Corner:**

 **Story Revised 2-01-2019. Hope you guys enjoy it.**


	3. Prelude Part 3

_It was an ordinary day... or as much at it could be._

 _That day was going to turn out different. It was the day Pyrrha confronted me about my problems and I ended up spilling the truth._

 _"What did you say Jaune?" Pyrrha asked a tinge of worry in her tone._

 _"I said I faked my transcripts to get into Beacon. I never went to combat school and came into this school with no training," There was only shame in the depths Jaune's soul as he admitted to cheating._

 _Pyrrha said nothing for a short time. She took a deep breath and then slapped me across the face._

 _"I'm ashamed to be your partner." There was a slight venom in her tone as her gaze sharpened. "I thought you were a good person but you turned out to be a liar and a cheater."_

 _Tears spilled from her eyes as she looked angrily at Jaune. There was no denying the sadness and frustration in her tone._

 _She turned and walked past Jaune who stood there shocked. As she made for the door, she turned and told him, "I won't tell anyone... but don't think for a second that I have forgiven you. I am only doing this because I've met friends through meeting you..." Her tone was apathetic. "I'm giving you this much... because I'd like to think that our friendship meant something,"_

 _"Wait," I called out despite the pain lingering across my chest, "Pyrrha, please let me explain!"_

 _"No! I won't listen to what a liar has to say to me!"_

 _All hope of fixing their relationship ended there as Pyrrha made for the door and slammed it shut._

 _The dam that Jaune was trying to stop finally burst and the tears finally fell. Little did he know someone was there hearing the commotion._

"Then Cardin showed up and made everything worse for me" Jaune continued from there as his hands clenched tightly.

"So you told Miss Nikos about your transcripts... I take it she didn't take it well," Ozpin noted without a hint of emotion in his tone.

"Yes... the rest... well, you know what happened in Forever Fall," It was the only times he managed to win against a Grimm without help. Though... he had his suspicions when his shield felt lighter for a split second.

"That still doesn't cover everything," Ozpin knew the case between Cardin and Jaune. Things seem to be okay between them now but he knew that event wasn't the crux of the matter. "Tell me what happened after the others found out,"

There was silence as the memory assaulted Jaune's mind. It was a rather painful memory to relive and it still was something he tries not to think about even today.

"Fine... but after this Professor, I have a favor to ask."

Unbeknownst to the two, Glynda was silently processing the information Jaune just gave them.

"It doesn't add up. Is there another reason why they don't even talk to him? Is faking his transcripts really that important to them? They seemed to be the closest of friends weeks ago and now you can't even tell that they used to hang out together."

"Alright, Mr. Arc, if you would please continue," Ozpin is interested in what favor Jaune would ask but hold his tongue. He hopes that what he would hear next wasn't too bad for the young knight.

"Okay... let's get this over with."

Jaune

I was standing there in the hall.

Ruby confronted me after hearing the rumor of the fake transcripts.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to really explain my case to her... to anyone really...

"Is it true, Jaune?" Ruby asked with fear. We were standing in the hall where our two dorm rooms meet. Everyone was standing in front of me and I noticed no one was on my side.

Before I could give her an answer, someone answered for me. I knew that melodious voice anywhere as everyone turned to Pyrrha with a look of shock.

"It's true. He lied his way into Beacon... he doesn't deserve to be here."

There was an annoyance in her tone and a hint of something else. When I looked into her eyes I noticed she wasn't really looking at me. Well, she was looking at my general direction but her eyes did not meet with mine.

Honestly, it didn't surprise me that she told everyone. It was bound to happen to come up but she broke the promise she made to me. And I'll never find out why as everyone became silent.

"Arc... please leave or else. Nothing good will come if you stay here," Weiss said folding her arms and looking away. Her eyebrows were creased as she turned away from me.

"I'm sorry guys... please forgive me." I tried to apologize even though none of them met my eyes, of how sincere I was trying to be. "I just wanted to-"

"NO!" Yang shouted, fed up by me or something else I don't know. "There is no reason for why you did this, for why you are here. But! We don't want to hear it."

I tried to explain my circumstances. I hoped that... if they listened, then maybe they would understand. However, Yang had enough of me and order for me to leave.

"Leave now."

If I stayed then I knew I'd be in for a world of pain.

Despite not wanting to, I turned and slowly, painfully, walked away.

I turned around one final time and I took note of the anger and disappointment in each and every one of them.

I͞t ̸b̷roke ̸m̛y he̕art se̵eing͢ th̛e͝m l͠ike ͏th̶at.̢

"I'm sorry," I said quietly as I turned and walked away.

"Now you know." There was a disappointment in Jaune's tone as the memory of their disappointment came to an end. "How they felt about me..."

Ozpin, at that moment, felt disappointed. But not at Jaune. No. It was a disappointment towards the others.

"So that's their reaction... huh,"

"That still doesn't explain why they acted this way," Glynda thought as she recalls the two teams' actions.

"Thank you for informing us, Mr. Arc. I believe we now know more about the situation... and how to handle it," Potentially, Opened thought.

The two were about to head out and discuss with themselves in private when Jaune spoke out.

"Professor Ozpin... about that favor," Silence returned to the room as Jaune closed his eyes. "Can you make sure that anyone from team RWBY nor NPR bothers me until I recovered? I don't want to see them after remembering all of that,"

There was a hollowness in his tone and for a moment, the two were concerned for the young Arc.

"Of course, Mr. Arc," Ozpin said reassuringly as Jaune sighed with relief.

Ozpin left as Glynda lingered in the room a little more. Whatever she saw in Jaune must've have been important as she called out to Ozpin seconds later.

"Ozpin, I would like to talk to Jaune alone for a bit."

"Go ahead," He said back as he disappeared down the hall.

Glynda then went back into the room to see Jaune staring at the floor. For a second, Glynda contemplated her actions before grabbing a spare chair and fixing it besides Jaune. Without thought or reason, Glynda sat down and thought of what to say. She wasn't used to handling the circumstances that involve anyone close to her but she tried nonetheless.

"Jaune..." She called as she faced him again. "Jaune look at me,"

She was calm and welcoming, a difference in attitude from her strict personality. However, Jaune refused to turn to her. To look at her. His shadow stretched out as the sun was setting behind them. Guilt lingering in the air as the shadows hid Jaune's face.

"Jaune," She called again with slight desperation. "Please, look at me."

Her pleas fell on deft ears. He still refused to give her what she wanted.

Tears began to fall from her eyes. The memories of a happy boy she met in the past contrasting the shadow that was Jaune Arc.

"Jaune... please look..." She said at barely a whisper. Jaune noted her broken tone and looked at her for the first time. Tears met his eyes for the first time in a long while. "I'm sorry, Jaune... for not doing anything to help you..."

There was a sound of glass shattering in the background... or was that Jaune's heart finally allowing himself to grieve?

Both weren't sure what it was but Jaune refused to see Glynda cry.

So in an odd twist, Jaune decided to comfort her. The first thing he did was give her a hug.

"None of this was your fault." He said sternly as he pulled her close. Honestly, he needed the hug more than she did.

Glynda was stunned for one moment... then wrapped her hands around him in the next. The two were silent during the whole affair, the only sound of note was the tears the two shared at that moment.

Jaune can be considered broken at that moment. Or was he still the same? No one really knew but the events of the past few weeks have reached the critical point and have finally released.

All the pain was let out.

All the disappointment met with acceptance for what it was.

No one spoke until the two are finally composed enough to talk.

"You okay?" Jaune still held her as she did in the past when he felt sad. It brought a great amount of nostalgia between the two of them, only Jaune was taller now. "I'm sorry for being a disappointment."

"Don't blame yourself, Jaune. It wasn't your fault. It never was. It only hurts more when you think it is true."

Jaune was silent as he contemplated her words before nodding. "Okay. I'll try."

"Thank you,"

Silence returned and the two finally let go. The feeling of sadness and despair finally left the room as Glynda addressed Jaune for the final time that day.

"I have to go but I'll be back soon to check on you. We can talk more by then if you want." She said with a smile as Jaune returned it with his own.

"I'd love that... Miss Goodwitch, thank you."

Glynda nodded and went for the door.

"Try and get some sleep. Call for me whenever you need something. You still have my number on your scroll right?"

Jaune nodded as he remembered having Glynda's number saved in his scroll. He had it after Glynda left to focus on her career. With a reassuring smile, Glynda left him alone once again.

For the first time in a while, Jaune felt like himself for once. However, the feeling was bittersweet.

The sun has already set and the light in the room slowly died as fluorescent lights illuminated the room.

"Might as well go to bed," Jaune said as he laid down once more.

"Tomorrow is another day,"

 **Beta Corner:**

 **Story Revised 2-08-2019. Hope you guys enjoy it.**


	4. Prelude Part 4

Two days.

That's how long since Jaune's near-death experience.

If he were honest with himself. He sometimes wished he never wakes up. Staying in the infirmary is like a dream. A paradise away from the pains of Beacon.

The first day wasn't much of notice. Just some test conducted by Professor Peach to check his condition. Something about my Aura experiencing side effects.

Miss Goodwitch was true to her word. She came by to chat with him. To ease his worries from the experience he went through yesterday.

He was grateful for her presence. An hour hasn't gone by where Jaune had short bouts of anxiety confront him. Talking with Glynda allowed him to calm down and take control of his anxiety.

Fortunately, she brought him his scroll which he dropped some time after he ran from combat class. He used his scroll to pass the time or to send a message or two to Glynda.

Professor Peach was a lot more accommodating than he first thought. She told him that he can leave after a few more days. Apparently, the results of his test was inconclusive as his aura was quickly healing any wounds he inflicted on myself. However, we noticed a huge scar where his blade once entered his body. Peach explained that since he stabbed himself without aura to protect him, the scar will remain. It was the same with his arms but Jaune knew that before she told him. It was why he decided to wear long sleeves the whole time.

It became a surprise when Peach told him that he can call her when he wanted someone to talk to when Glynda wasn't available.

Other than that, nothing big has happened.

During the absence of any social interaction, his mind wanders back to the fact everyone saw his...

* * *

 _Ruby's scythe is poised to strike._

 _Usually, when Ruby is sparring in the arena she would usually use her semblance to start off._

 _However, Jaune has seen that moved she made at the start of every fight._

 _So, when Ruby blitz towards him Jaune timed her approach with a shield to block Cresent Rose's steel. The sound of steel pounding on steel was nothing new to the students as both Jaune and Ruby are locked into position._

 _Cresent Rose was heavy enough as it is but Jaune has managed to push the scythe away to allow him to slash forward and aim for Ruby._

 _Ruby was a step faster and jumped back in time to evade Crocea Mors._

 _This fight was different from the other fights that Jaune had._

 _He knew Ruby very well and has memorized and observed Ruby closely during their time together._

 _Hence, it came to the surprise of Ruby that Jaune lunged his sword after her._

 _His steel strikes true and Ruby was forced to use the shaft of her weapon to stop it. Ruby was pushed back by five feet by the impact and a bit of her own aura disappeared to reduce the numbing feeling of her hands._

 _Across from her, Jaune positioned himself once again. He has gotten better with his stances by observing others. However, the balance between his left and right hand was still terrible. Ruby took advantage of this and slammed the blunt end of Cresent Rose to Jaune's left side._

 _Jaune caught off guard, was forced to let go of his shield sooner than he expected. Ruby used the opportunity to fire blanks on Jaune's frame as fast as possible._

 _The hits were excruciating, it pushed his aura to try and block or heal him from the repeated barrage but it wasn't enough. A shot aimed for his kidney made his knees weak. A shot to his stomach made him release his breath and nearly caused him drop his sword._

 _Beyond all that. Of all the pain and misery he went through, Jaune still stood defiant._

 _The look on Ruby's eyes at Jaune's defiance was indifference._

 _Despite everything, Jaune proved nothing to her and it shows._

 _Truth be told, she was still angry that Jaune lied to her. But, she was also disappointed that Jaune was still weak despite trying his best._

 _She decided at that moment, that Jaune needed_ proper _motivation._

 _She moved._

 _Ruby entered within Cresent Rose's range for her to raise her scythe and cut through Jaune's armor and hoodie._

 _From there, everything went to hell._

* * *

Jaune clenched his fist tightly at the memory of exposing himself to the student body. At first, _anger_ dominated his thoughts. He blamed them for everything that happened to him. After all, it isn't every day that you find yourself the target of everyone's ire. Worse of all, abandoned and bullied by the very friends he trusted.

It was in his moment of weakness that he decided to just end it. To end it there and not come back.

If it hadn't been for Glynda's timely rescue then Jaune would have regretted it.

He still had family who loved him for who he is; his parents and sisters. Not to mention, Glynda's thoughts about his attempted suicide.

The thought was sobering enough to quench his anger. He was still angry but the support he knew he had was enough to let it go.

It was during the day after that Jaune remembered how he was in this situation in the first place.

His Falsified Transcripts.

It would have been hypocritical of him if he doesn't acknowledge the wrong he committed. Or how it was a downfall of his own making. Any anger he had left was washed away by guilt and shame.

He calmed down. Any lingering anger was now forgotten as grief once again won out.

At this moment, Jaune re-evaluated his life till now. True, he wasn't smart or the most studious among his peers... but facing death can really change a boy.

He first started wondering if teams NPR and RWBY were his friends.

If they were really friends at all.

It was disheartening... knowing they didn't have his back. If he had explained himself... if they had only listened, would there have been a difference? Was there a difference to be made even if he did?

Blake and Weiss were out. No matter what he did he just couldn't connect with them. Hence, they would leave him without a second thought. By now, he believes that they actually hate his guts.

Ruby, Yang, and his own team?

Honestly, he thought they would be more understanding of his circumstances.

 _Should I stop even seeing them as my friends now? I've been holding on, hoping that they could forgive me and we can be friends again. But it has been weeks... and no one came to talk to me. To tell me off and forgive me for being stupid._

 _Some friends I ended up having..._

These thoughts circled around his head for a while.

In all honesty, Jaune wasn't sure how to feel about that.

A part of him wanted to cut all ties with them.

And another, a part too close to his heart and soul told him not to.

Illogical and frustrating. That was what he thought as he couldn't understand why he couldn't let them go. In the end, he decided to waste his time playing on his scroll. Only to find message spams on his notifications. He looked and found that each belong to some members of team RWBY.

He was surprised to find that there were also ones belonging to Blake and Weiss.

 _I don't need this right now,_

Heedless of their growing worries, Jaune decided to ignore them and play with his scroll.

 _If possible, I want them to leave me alone._

When he looked at the time on his scroll it was already lunch period. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled for a bit and Jaune was forced to put down his scroll.

It was during this time that a knock was heard from the door, someone asked, "May I come in?"

The voice and tone sounded familiar to him. Sadly, he couldn't remember who it was.

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Velvet Scarlatina."

Jaune was surprised. He hadn't seen her in a while. He first met Velvet when Jaune ended up defending her from Cardin. She was thankful for his help and soon became fast friends. However, when word got out about his transcripts he actively avoided her. It was bad enough she was a Faunus, adding being friends with a faker would just add more fuel to the ever-growing bullying and racism that Velvet faces in her life.

It was during those times that he would often come to lunch early and leave with his food to eat alone. The usual places he would go were the roof or and empty side of the open courtyard between shrubbery and trees. Or, when there was no other option, the men's restroom.

It wasn't the cleanest place to eat lunch but the one closest to the library was the cleanest in Beacon. It goes to show that men don't really use the library much. The custodians must be happy to know that their sanctuary is a good spot to be alone in.

Back to Velvet, she was one of few who didn't end up bullying him. A part of him thinks it is because she knew what it was like. Another morbid thought that came to him is that she was waiting for the perfect time to humiliate him severely. To kick him down like what others did to her most of her life.

Any thoughts like those were instantly crushed, however, whenever he looked into her eyes. She was genuinely worried about him and it caused swallow guiltily and push her away.

And now here she was, knocking right at the door and asking if she could enter. It really brought things to perspective when Jaune found himself desperately clinging for contact then and there.

"Uh... sure, come in." He was clearly nervous. It has been days since he last saw her and considering all the bad things that happened to him... he is just hoping that she still hasn't changed.

When she opened the door, the first thing he saw was her school uniform. Usually, he would look her in the eyes to address her but something else caught his attention.

In her hands were two trays of food. Obviously, it came from the cafeteria. "How did you know I was here?"

He inquired curiously. He specifically requested that he didn't want to be disturbed and usually a nurse would bring him his food. Prof. Peach was generous enough to bring it for him despite his insistence to go get it himself. She brought him down hard when she casually pressed her hand down on his chest and end up cringing in pain.

"I asked Ozpin where you were when you disappeared that day. No one has seen a hair of you in days." She answered. She then moved closer to Jaune and handed him one of the trays. She then moved to grab a chair and pulled it closer to the bed. Her intentions were clear and Jaune saw it coming the moment he saw the trays.

She wants to talk and he cannot push her away this time.

He looked at the tray and found, to his joy, his favorite meal. Dinosaur chicken nuggets. His stomach ended up growling anger when he still hasn't eaten one yet.

Unknown to him, Velvet knew what he liked. After all, the two were close enough for her to notice these things. What Jaune didn't know was that she got him extra so they could talk longer. On her tray was simple greens, a bowl of mashed potatoes, and scrabbled eggs. She chose this so that she can have the excuse of staying with him longer.

After getting done with his lunch tray, he set it aside and asked Velvet, "Why are you here?"

She turned to him for a bit as she nibbled on her celery. She looked down as the vegetable disappeared in her mouth and her eyes were covered by her hair.

"Nobody has seen you in days Jaune. The last time anybody did was when you ran out of the arena. I-" She paused for a second as her hands trembled. "I know about the scars Jaune..."

She was upset, Jaune can tell that much. He ended up looking at his hands in shame. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt to cover the cuts he made on his wrist. He was too ashamed to look at them when he was alone. In fact, there were times he was compelled to continue where he left off. To add another scar to the growing collection of cut marks on his arms.

It brought him comfort when his aura would stop protecting him and allow his blood to flow.

It disturbed him how easy it was to leave signs of his growing misdeeds.

Sadly, Velvet wanted an answer and his growing silence only caused him to feel more guilty. He placed the tray on his lap to a nearby table and moved closer to the side of the bed where Velvet was closest. He didn't know what kind of face he was making but he knew he looked awful. "Velvet, I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

The broken tone that he used to apologized caused Velvet to look up at him with wide tearful eyes. A pool of tears flowed down from her face reaching all the way to her chin and dropping to her shaking a closed fist.

"Why... why do you have all those scars on your arm!?" She screamed anger and frustration in her tone as Jaune couldn't look at her in the eyes. "Why did you run away!?"

Jaune was shivering and felt like a mess. Velvet saw how his hand was nervously moving up and down his arm in a nervous manner. All the anger she felt stopped there as she knew that posture.

To Jaune's surprise and worry. Velvet stood up.

Jaune froze at that moment before his arms retreated closer to his chest.

It only made Velvet sadder looking at Jaune like this. So when she moved to hug him Jaune released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

 **(** _I advise playing Aria de l'Etoile at this part. The music truly captures the moment I want you to experience here._ **)**

The two were stuck in that position for a few seconds. Outside, the birds were singing without worry or caution. The sun's rays enter the room in a peaceful and warm ambience as Jaune finally moved his hands and deepen the hug.

Jaune cried freely as Velvet held him close. She knew what it was like to feel trapped and alone. So, a hug was the cure for this kind of situation. Not many people knew this but sometimes, when times are truly difficult, a hug can go a long way.

Minutes passed as the two held close, not letting go for even a second. Velvet went through the same emotional breakdowns Jaune is experiencing. When Jaune finally stopped crying and his shaking finally stilled did Velvet let go.

"Thank you," He called out in barely a whisper but her Faunus hearing has managed to catch.

Velvet gave a kind calming smile as her hand moved to grab his. Jaune absently stared at the action before looking at her with slightly bloodshot eyes.

"Jaune... why did you have those scars?"

Jaune looked away for a second but Velvet was patient with him. In a few seconds, Jaune finally turned to her with slightly more confidence.

"I did it as a to punish myself."

The answer caused a small stirring inside of her grow but Velvet hid her anxiety.

"I thought... if I do then may be... they won't be so angry anymore..."

Velvet's free hand moved behind her to form an angry fist. The dark look in her eyes betrayed whatever semblance of calm she had as she held herself from storming out and attacking the first student she sees.

At the same time, Cardin felt a chill race down his spine. He did a complete 180 and sped away as fast as he could.

"They made you push yourself that far to appease them?" The hand holding Jaune's own was almost crushing him making him wince. "What right do they have for judging you? What right do they have to push you to hurt yourself to pacify them?"

Velvet pulled her hand causing Jaune to crash into her waiting arms.

"They don't care for that Jaune! None of them do!"

The anger in her tone caused a small chill of fear to race down Jaune's spine. It was the first time he saw her like this. And, despite it all, Jaune found himself grabbing her shoulders and staring at her fiery brown eyes.

"Calm down." He said in a soothing voice. "They didn't know about this until that day. I was too afraid to allow for anyone to see it."

Whatever spark of anger that Velvet felt at that moment was abated. The cooling pools of his blue eyes reflecting the light of the sun caused her to form a small blush which Jaune dismissed as adrenaline.

"Why?"

"I didn't want them to know. Velvet, I did that to myself to appease the growing guilt I feel every day. It was my way of telling myself, 'I'm sorry.'"

Velvet said nothing as Jaune let her go. What could she have said to that? She knew it wasn't healthy to cut yourself. But she couldn't find it in herself to tell him that. In the end, Velvet respected his choice. To do such things and ending up telling no one.

The only feeling she felt at that moment was sadness.

Sadness at the thought that the once bright boy in front of her was broken. Broken to the point of harming himself.

And if what she heard from Ozpin was true...

Then he was _broken to the point of suicide._

"Velvet, I know that there is a lot you are going through after what I revealed." Velvet couldn't help but think that he was underestimating the severity of his actions. "But, right now, there is something I have to tell you."

The tone he used was serious and this caused her to look at him in the eyes again. Gone was the light it once hand, replaced by something else. A feeling so empty that Velvet felt she was staring into the abyss.

"What is it?" She asked curiously despite not wanting to know.

At that moment, a stronger part of her took hold and told her to continue. It reasoned that, if she let him go... then she will never see him again.

"I don't know if I want to stay in Beacon anymore."

Yet, despite the voice telling her to face him. She couldn't help but look away.

Because if she did continue to stare at his eyes. Then there was only one feeling that her own would show to him.

Heartache.

* * *

 **Beta Corner:**

 **Story Revised 3-15-2019. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Note: Yes I played Katawa Shoujo and the Best Route is Lily's. She is also my best waifu. If anyone has problems with that then come fight me.**

 **Jokes aside, there is a retcon here. I changed the last scene where Jaune was supposed to comfort an angry Velvet to Velvet calming a troubled Jaune instead. To me, it just makes sense.**

 **If you are wondering if I have the right to do this then... I want you guys to know that I am working on this story with Cur Sombre. Essentially, making me his Co-author with editing privileges.**

 **Don't worry, his vision of the story won't change much. I am just here to keep you all entertained by changing certain parts that don't make sense or changing position to fill a better narrative position we have with the characters.**

 **Cur has no experience with how to handle characters well and how to expand on them in a narrative so I'm here to improve upon that.**

 **Basically, I am the writer who edits the story after** **a thorough talk with Cur as the main Author. I hope you don't mind the retcon as I am here to improve upon the narrative experience that some of you may like and want. It is the only specialty I have so I hope you guys don't mind the change.**

 **Anyways, onward to the next revision.**


	5. Prelude Finale

Velvet schooled her expression as best as she could before turning to look at Jaune again.

"What-" However, her disbelief is clear as day, "did you say?"

Jaune was serious, however, and made his doubts heard.

"I don't think I want to stay at Beacon anymore,"

"What are you talking about?" Velvet can understand leaving Beacon... if it was anyone other than Jaune that is; there is just something about the knight that made anyone with a good heart want to see him succeed. "You can't just leave. What about your dream of becoming a huntsman?"

"I still want to be a huntsman... it is just that I don't want to be one here. You know what they have done to me and how they treated me. What's the point of staying when everyone you knew wants you gone?"

She wasn't sure what she should have said at that moment. It was clear that Velvet was trying to come up with the right answer but Jaune stopped her from working on one.

"I know you don't like it... I can see it in your eyes," Velvet had a slight tint of red spread on her cheeks. "But, I know that I am not wanted. I am sorry... I truly am, Velvet."

Small droplets of tears begin to form in her eyes as her emotions ran rampant.

"Velvet, you need to go. Lunch time is almost over and you need to head to class soon."

Despite her growing fears and opposition to the idea of leaving and dropping the conversation, she complied. She gathered her things, plates and all, and headed for the door. She stopped just outside as Jaune stared at her back.

"I'll be back... tomorrow that is. I want to talk to you more..."

It was all she can say as she controlled the trembling she felt rising from her legs and left as calmly as she could. Jaune didn't notice her trembling but was glad to know that Velvet cared for him.

"Great... Jaune, what have you gotten yourself into?" Jaune asked himself as he lays down on the bed, scroll completely forgotten on the side. "What else was I supposed to do? I can't really learn anything here with almost everyone against me."

It was the truth, as far as he can see it. No one wanted him here at Beacon. Some tolerate him and there are people who do like him but against the wave of barely perceptible hostility? Jaune had no chance.

"I don't want to give up. My dream... I want to make it a reality. But, I can't learn all that it takes to be a huntsman alone... I need guidance... a teacher; anyone would do at this point."

Jaune closed his eyes as drowsiness welcomed him. His last thoughts were, _"What am I going to do now?"_

* * *

 _ **Team RWBY and NPR**_

"Guys, have any of you been able to contact Jaune?" Ruby asked as she stared at her scroll displaying Jaune's number and profile image.

It had been days since anyone has last seen him. When she saw the cuts on Jaune's arms, she froze in stunned horror. The cuts looked new and freshly cut to have been there long and she grew worried when his aura failed to heal such injuries.

It didn't help with the fact that Jaune ran as soon as he was exposed. No one has seen hide nor tail of the blond knight and she grew even more worried as the days passed.

True, she was angry once she found out about his fake transcripts.

But, despite everything, Jaune was still her friend.

Her first friend.

Remembering the cut marks dampened any anger she held for him. Now, she just wanted to find out where he is... and if he was safe and alright.

"None of us have, Ruby. We'll keep on looking though," Yang answered with a confident smile. Inside, however, was the opposite. She didn't want to do any of this.

Yang was different from Ruby, she was furious when the fake transcripts were revealed. Since then she has been trying her hardest to bully him into leaving.

Beacon Academy is a school for aspiring hunters. They spent their early childhoods till late teens training and learning to be the best just to qualify for orientation. Not everyone was lucky to enter as spots were limited every year and each year more and more tried to get in. Unlike Jaune, who cheated his way in, everyone worked their butts off to get to this point.

She hated that more than everything else he did. Sure, she can forgive the vomit staining his shoes. Or the horrible flirting attempts he makes in public. But, she needed to draw a line somewhere. And that line has been crossed unbeknownst to the fake knight.

She was sure that they knew about his transcripts at this point but none of the faculty did anything. Even Glynda looked unfazed at the treatment and indifference Jaune received on a daily basis. It only made her bully him even more so that she can lay her frustrations out to the person causing it. Sure, she knew it was wrong but seeing his dorky face just ticked her off.

Then his cuts were revealed for all to see.

Honestly, looking at the cuts caused her to remember a memory she tried to suppress as much as possible. But unlike what everyone else felt when they saw his cuts; Yang, she felt something else entirely. Feelings not quite anger or hatred surfaced and didn't know what it was. She still hasn't after a few days have passed and she finally felt the feeling leave.

Right now, all she wanted was to help Ruby and forget the experience all together.

"Why are we still looking? It isn't like any of us can find him even if we keep trying," Weiss replied with cold indifference. She was like Yang but with a colder outlook in her thoughts pertaining the forgery of transcripts that Jaune gave the academy.

Sure, at first she was furious but soon it gave way to a calm anger. Inside, she knew she wasn't the only one who trained nor worked hard to reach the point they were in now.

Unlike what everyone else thought of the heiress, Weiss did not live a life of pure luxury. She spent hours with private tutors on knowledge on how to be a huntress. This doesn't include the training she was undertaking to be the heir to the company either as every single day she poured everything she had to make her dreams into a reality. Beacon became her only top school of choice as Atlas was far too close for her comfort to truly feel free from her father's grasp. Shade was out of the question as the desert sands do not mesh well with her physique. She would know as she barely lasted a day in the scorching sands. Haven was her back-up choice to go to when she went there. However, something about the headmaster didn't sit well with Weiss. There was something about the way he was trying to be pleasing that irked her wrongly.

So she was glad to be accepted into Beacon and passed initiation.

And it went downhill from there when this nobody, Arc, came in using lies.

It made all her endless days of training and studying seem worthless in comparison.

Hence, her indifference, sure his scars were concerning but that was all it was. A small concern in a sea of indifference that she felt for the knight.

The only reason she even deigned to help was because Ruby was her leader. And she made a promise to herself that she will be a great teammate despite any feelings of enmity she has for Jaune.

"We are helping because Ruby asked us to, Weiss." Blake replied putting away the book she had been reading. Her feelings on the matter was relatively the same with the others but to a much lesser extent. Unlike the rest, Blake is the only one who hasn't interacted with him. It still doesn't excuse him in her eyes, however, as the sacrifices she made to even qualify isn't something which Jaune's fake transcripts can compare to.

When she first applied she barely made it in time to even qualify and has practically begged them to test her out. Glynda was present at the time and was impress with her prowess. However, she asked why she was late and Blake was forced to admit that she was living in the areas where the faunus citizens were forced to live. The neighborhood was not only hostile to humans but those who are well off than them as well.

Glynda understood and asked no further. She did ask if she wanted to room at a better area but Blake declined as she wanted to look after the lower class citizens and patrol the area. When it came to join Beacon, she didn't disappoint and even ended up partnering with Yang and taking down a Nevermore. All of this and her accomplishments she can attribute to the time she has worked for the White Fang.

To be in the White Fang is to learn how to survive.

Surviving was the harshest lesson taught by the organization as many aspirants would fail. But those that passed received intensive training to help them assassinate high value targets and espionage. When she left, she took the skills she earned to use it to become a huntress and get into Beacon.

Jaune never went through what she did to even be qualified to enter let alone join Beacon.

It angered her that Jaune would cheat his way in despite his lackluster abilities and skill. Not only that, but his weaponry leaves much to be desired and the way he dresses in combat made even her senses glare at the offending outfit. In her eyes, Jaune was not ready for Beacon and never will be. He just doesn't have what it takes to be one of them and his fake transcripts didn't help shake her from such thoughts.

"Fair enough. It still doesn't answer my question though, why are we _still_ helping to try and find Arc?" Weiss reiterated, she was still a bit stuck up than she cared to admit. "We all know what he did."

"You saw his scars, Weiss. I want to make sure that he is at least okay." Ruby answered as she looked away from her. Her eyes were distant as the memory of that time replayed in her mind. "Didn't it freak any of you out when you saw his arms? That he ran away after that? Or that no one has heard or seen of him since?"

There were some looks exchanged by everyone in the room. Some agreed that it was concerning while others kept their thoughts to themselves.

"But, Ruby, listen to yourself." Yang reasoned. "He ran away. What if he doesn't want to be found?"

"Yang has a point, Ruby. Jaune ran away for a _reason_. Nobody has seen him and we will likely not be able to either. Maybe it is time to stop and wait and see? Who knows? He'll show up eventually seeing as his stuff is still here." Blake pointed out as their sister team agreed.

Ruby looked at them a bit surprised. She wasn't expecting them to be like this. "But guys, it's the right thing to do. At least try and help me find him. Pyrrha, you are in right?"

There was a beat of silence before Ruby tried again, this time looking straight at her. "Right?"

Pyrhha remained silent. Anger still boiled inside of her being despite all this time. However, she couldn't deny Ruby either. Something about the scars in his arms stroked a dangerous line of thought in her mind. Right now, she felt conflicted. She wanted to find him. She truly did. But her anger was clouding her judgement. And, if she was being honest. She didn't know what she would do if she found him first.

Sensing the storm brewing within her, Ren decided to speak up for her. "Of course we want to find Jaune. But, what happened is still fresh in our minds. None of us feel the need to find him... but it doesn't mean we don't want answer to our questions."

"Ren's right." Nora supported from behind Ren but her usual chipper attitude was absent, replaced by a silent and sad look instead. "We're still upset... I don't think we can give our best in finding him..."

The melancholy doesn't seem to surprise everyone even though it should. They wisely have not brought up the change and instead agreed with her.

Ruby felt her stomach squirm at their nonchalance. She can understand how they felt, she was still angry too. Still, she wanted to find him. She needed to know that he was fine. But so far, she didn't have much success. "Okay, I can respect your objections. What should we do then? I still want to find him... there is something I desperately want to find out and Jaune isn't here to answer any of our questions."

The room was silent once again as no one had an answer to her question. That was until Ren recalled someone may have the answer to the red head's inquiry. "If I remember correctly, Jaune was friends with Velvet of team CFVY. Perhaps, she knows where our elusive knight is?"

Ruby latched onto that idea immediately. The entire room radiated positive energy as she turned away, excited to finally get a lead on the missing knight.

"Alright! We'll do just that." Ruby's excitement brought a smile to everyone in the room. "During lunch tomorrow, we'll try and find her and ask her if she knows anything about Jaune."

Pyrrha, however, has her doubts. "What if that doesn't work out for us?"

Everyone turned their heads to her as she continued. "Listen, everyone knows we aren't on the best of terms with Jaune... she has to know this by now. What if she lies or, in the worst case, decided not to tell us? What then?"

"Well..." Ruby started, not sure how she will proceed in the likelihood that Velvet denies them outright. "If she does, we will follow her around just to make sure she really has no idea where Jaune is. Either way, we'll end up meeting Jaune even if we have to wait until he comes back."

Everyone visibly agreed with her assessment. Some of them pitched in and shared ideas on how to proceed effectively so that their plan for tomorrow doesn't fail. Contingency plans were made and soon team NPR went back into their rooms satisfied. Everyone else went back to what they were doing or worked on their homework.

Tomorrow, they thought, they will definitely get their answers.

* * *

 _ **Jaune**_

Jaune woke up without a fuss. It was later in the day as he reached and checked his scroll.

It was five o'clock in the afternoon.

"Great... what do I do now?"

"I believe I should be asking you that question, Mr. Arc."

Jaune turned his head towards the door in shock and surprise. At the door was the headmaster, Ozpin, without his trademark cup. Obviously, Jaune was freaked out by the visit.

 _How the heck did he know when I would wake up!? What? Was he waiting outside the entire time till he heard me?_

There was something strange about Ozpin, some would attribute it as wisdom for living longer than the average huntsman or huntress. Others simply point out the natural charisma he would exude when talking to others.

To Jaune, he felt that there was something about him that made him relax reflexively without issue. He attributed it to the fact that Ozpin felt a lot like his late grandparents.

"Did you need me for something, Professor Ozpin?"

Ozpin smiled, "Well, Mr. Arc, I would like to ask what you plan for the future?"

Jaune was a bit surprised that Ozpin would ask that.

He had a plan... but now he wasn't so sure. Beacon, the school for heroes has always been his dream to enter here and graduate. However, a feeling of despair was mixed with that childish admiration.

Honestly, he felt like giving up.

But, a stubborn part of him refuses to give up. To allow his dreams to shatter and remain broken. He knew there was no point in avoiding the question. But, he didn't know if Ozpin already knew his thoughts when Velvet confronted him.

"About what, Professor?" Jaune asked for clarification.

"I'll be frank, Mr. Arc, do you still wish to remain in Beacon? Do you wish to leave?"

"I..." Jaune caught his breath as the question was laid before him. "I don't know..."

Jaune took a deep breath as he kept eye contact with Ozpin, "I don't know Professor, I mean, I still want to become a Huntsman... more than anything. A hero like my ancestors... but, with everything that happened... I am not sure I know anymore,"

Ozpin nods. He is aware of the rumors and situation Jaune is in. He only came to ask if he wanted to leave to learn somewhere else preferable.

"Let me ask you this, Mr. Arc. Do you still wish to become a Huntsman?"

He didn't need to wait long. Jaune already knew the answer to that one.

"Yes. I want to become a Huntsman more than anything. More than fame or glory... I want to help everyone I came across."

There was a brilliant light behind the blue eyes of Jaune. It was something Ozpin noticed and smiled to himself when he saw.

"That's why I came to Beacon, the school of aspiring Heroes. If there was any place that could fulfill my dream... then it is here,"

"Even if the people closest to you don't want you to be here? Who want you to stop and go home? Who betrayed you for wanting to be here?"

"I..." Jaune wasn't sure how to answer that. It was much more complicated than that. He was aware of it than most realize.

"Mr. Arc, you told me you wanted to become a Huntsman more than anything. And yet, the only thing stopping you is them... are you sure you want to continue down this path?"

There was something deep inside of him that Jaune realized at a later date was anger. That what Ozpin said stroke a bitter fire to release from him without realizing it.

"They are the ones who helped me keep moving forward towards my dream. They are my friends... my inspiration; the greatest gift I have ever received in my life." To Ozpin's surprise, there were no lies behind the smile that Jaune showed. No hint of malice for those that pushed him away. "Yes, I am angry. But... I don't want to let them go..."

"Then don't."

Jaune turned to Ozpin confused.

 _Don't? Why? Most would say that they weren't really my friends for pushing me away. For not understanding. To keep moving forward despite them._

"Why shouldn't I? Isn't it better to move on and forget them?"

"Mr. Arc, you will find that no matter what you do, deep inside, you know they are still a part of you." Ozpin's clouded for a second, recalling times when he was in Jaune's feet. "All I am saying is that, you should use this as motivation. Use that fact to improve yourself and become better than them."

Ozpin turned away and headed for the door. "Just think about it, Mr. Arc."

Jaune heard him and recounted the words in his head many times. He was right, in some ways. Still, Jaune was unsure. His feelings for them prevented him from completely agreeing with Ozpin.

"I'm still not sure, Professor. But, I'll think about what you said."

"That's all I ask for, Mr. Arc. But, I have a proposition for you." He turned around once again with smile on his face. "Being a Huntsman is important to you, yes? But, unlike your peers, you are untrained. What if I tell you... that I could get some people to come and teach you?"

"What do you mean, Professor? Aren't the teaching staff packed already as it is?" Jaune asked as most teachers were either too busy or have other responsibilities. They still give him time though, something he was grateful for.

"They will teach you over a certain period of time. If you choose to stay, young Arc, then I can get those with experience within the field to train you. To become the Huntsman you want to be,"

Jaune sat there nonplussed. Before he could even reply Ozpin was already out the door.

"Think of it very carefully, Mr. Arc. I ask of you to truly think about it. The path you choose from this point... there will be no going back. There will be many hardships and pain... times of utter despair and maybe... you'll come to regret coming here."

A lump formed on Jaune's throat as Ozpin continued.

"There will be a time when you will confront them... your friends once again. But who will you be when the time comes? A civilian or a hunter?"

With those words forever ingrained in Jaune's head. Ozpin leaves, for good this time.

"I'll be waiting for your answer."

The sun was already setting during their talk but now the flashing of florescent lights reminded him that it was now evening.

Seven o'clock to be precise.

He has plenty of time before going to bed. It was during this time while he was distracted that Professor Peach came in with a small smile on her face.

"Good evening, Mr. Arc. I have good news for you." The mood lightened with her pleasant smile greeting him. "Your wounds have healed, at a rate we had not anticipated. Your Aura seems to have prioritized its time to make sure you are fully healed. Usually, it would take a week at most before you are cleared."

The smile faltered, however, once she got to the next part.

"Unfortunately... there will be some scarring which cannot disappear. The severity of the damage you received made it so that not even Aura can fully heal it. That includes the ones on your arm, Mr. Arc."

It fully disappeared as she completes her diagnosis.

"Other than that, there is no other complications. Tomorrow... will be your last day here since you've completely healed. I'm sorry that you can't stay... we need the space for any future patients."

Jaune can tell that she was fully regrets having him leave and face the ire of the entire school so soon. That was just like her, Jaune found out one day while helping her move her tools, a person who cares deeply for others. If Jaune was being honest, he felt glad that she cares about him this much.

In the end, Jaune decided to hide his frustrations and growing anxiety. He knew he was unsuccessful when Peach's lips quivered as she turned away wiping her eyes despite her back facing him.

"Thank you, Professor Peach. Really, for all you've done... I am truly grateful."

The words only further saddened the young woman. More than Jaune would realize that day.

"I can't thank you enough,"

The professor turned around, her eyes closed but smile returning with a lovely glow as she said, "Your welcome, Mr. Arc. For the record... I am sorry I cannot do much more for you... and what happened..."

She left as quickly as she came and that's when Jaune realized that what happened to him may have triggered something from Peach. Jaune blamed himself for causing trouble to her once again. She was one of the few teachers in the school who actively helped him out once his transcripts were discovered. Peach may not know about this but, to Jaune, she was more help than anyone he met in his life.

 _What am I going to do now? I... I don't want to return to my dorm. Every time I open that door I felt like I was trespassing on someone else's room. I also am not prepared for what will happen after everyone saw my cut marks._

Jaune remembered the conversation he had with Ozpin. Of how he will give Jaune teachers to teach him the art of being a Hunter. It was best for him to focus on that instead.

 _I want to become a Huntsman, more than anything. But if I leave this room, I'll be facing team RWBY and (J)NPR again. I'm not ready for that. I am so, so angry at them. At the same time, so, so sad. They left me. Gave me to the hounds of this school and kicked me while I am down; Yang more literally than the rest._

 _Still..._

 _Despite it all..._

 _They are my friends..._

There are some things which Jaune cannot deny about himself. Despite everything, he still loves his friends. It may be masochistic of him to think like that but... he truly felt a connection with them. If maybe, in another time, they could have grown to be much more than friends and acquaintances.

Such thoughts caused him to chuckle. He imagines himself going out on adventures with them. Going around the world helping people and solving problems.

Such thoughts caused him to think about other things. Like his reasons for wanting to leave.

When he thinks about it more calmly, especially now that he feels that he can understand the reason why his friends abandoned him.

 _Is it my fault? I... I don't really know..._

 _I know how I feel about them but... I don't want to face them. Ozpin told me to use them as my motivation to improve myself. To become a Hunter greater than them but... is that the right choice?_

 _A͠re͝ ̴you͡ ̧g̛o̸ìn̢g ͟t̕o̕ l̡et͡ t̴hem̢ s͝top ̨you̸?_

 _They are my friends! My motivation... my family..._

 _S̸o wha͢t?̴ Are ͜yo͝u ́g̸o̸i̸ng̨ ̀t̢o st͠ąy he̸r̀e͠ ͟a͜nd d̴ơ no͡thin͏g̢ ͡w̢hi͟l͟e t̷he̴y go͝ ̶a͠b̧o̷ut͟ ̸t͝h͠ei̵r liv͟es̡ an̸d̨ l̛ivi͘ng̢ ̛their dreams?̢_

 _No! I still want to be a Hero! I want to go out there and protect people! To live up to my own legacy!_

 _A͡rȩ ҉you goín͞g t͟o̡ l͝ét ͢t̸h̵em s̶t̢op͜ ҉y͜ou̴ fr҉om sa͘v͠i̕n̕g in͞n̶o̢cen̶t ́peopļe̴?́_

 _No...! No, I won't. I want to save them._

 _W̧hat̸ ͜do̷ y͝ou̷ ͏want to̷ ͟d́o̷?̶_

 _I want to be a protector... a guardian for the people._

 _What ̛d̡o̵ ͝yoù w̨a̴n̕t!?_

 _I want to be Huntsman!_

 _Wh̵at̷ do ̴yo̴u ͜wan͜t to be!?_

 _I want to be a_ HERO! _  
_

The shadows plaguing his mind left him as Jaune found his conviction and resolve. His will... his determination to become a hero grew stronger that day. He went to bed knowing that no matter what happens, Jaune Arc will be a hero.

As he lay there closing his eyes, Jaune knew the answer he will give to Ozpin tomorrow.

* * *

Jaune woke up unceremoniously the next morning. He got up and checked his scroll for the time. It was eight and he decided to stay in bed for a while longer. He wanted to be sure if the choices he will make was the right one.

It was in his nature to second guess himself, to put doubt in his actions before committing to them. He was too occupied with his thoughts to notice Professor Peach enter the room with Professor Goodwitch at her side.

"Good morning, Jaune. I see you slept well," Peach greeted as her eyes roam at his part of the bed. "I want to check up on you one last time, before we release you. Also, I'd like you to do a few exercises to see if your muscles have recovered."

"Yes, Professor." Jaune answered as he rose off his bed. Professor Peach went to work while Glynda stood to the side watching. After a few runs of exercise and a clean bill of health from Peach later that Jaune found himself taking a fresh set of clothes and moving towards the empty bathroom to change.

In that time, Peach and Glynda shared a glance. Peach gave her a slight but knowing frown before turning away. Peach can tell what she plans to tell Jaune... she just hoped that it will work out for the two of them.

Jaune went out a few minutes later, wearing the school uniform despite the growing frown on his face. Glynda decided to talk to him, "Jaune Arc, I was wondering if you would like to stay with me,"

Jaune turned to her in surprise. His scowling turning into confusion. "What do you mean stay with you? Are you asking me to room with you? Is that even possible?"

In truth, it wasn't unheard of for students to ask for a different room. In fact, there were rare instances where some students were moved away from teams when their dynamic proved to be extreme. As for moving in with a teacher however...

"I insist Jaune, also... I know you don't have anywhere to go. We know you've been sleeping in the empty classrooms during the night."

Jaune was forced to live in areas where he had a hard time getting rest. The first few days he had slept at that very rooftop where Jaune confessed to Pyrrha about his transcripts. Now, he found empty classrooms where he can sleep on desk and use his blazer as a makeshift blanket.

The only times he goes inside their shared dorm room was to get a change of clothes. He took baths inside the school's gym lockers and does his toiletries in one of the unused men's bathrooms. If they had checked his locker, they would find most of his belongings there with the rest waiting at his empty bed at JNPR's room.

"It wouldn't be a hassle, Jaune. Because of the upcoming Vytal Festival, we don't have any free lodges available. So, you'll have to room with me."

Jaune was speechless. Really, he forgot about his living arrangements and has, for his part, gotten used to living like a bum in the school. The fact the faculty knew was no surprise to him. He often bumped with the professors after his morning rituals. The fact that Miss Goodwitch decided to offer rooming with her was a blessing.

"Thank you, Miss Goodwitch. You have no idea how much this means to me,"

They do. If Jaune knew how all of the staff knew then he would have died from the embarrassment. Peach coughed knowingly in the background. Her back facing them as she was busy organizing the medicine cabinet.

"Your welcome. Now, come along before the halls are filled with students." There was a knowing look in her eye which Jaune caught as he quickly gathered his things.

"Err... right. Let's go,"

With that done, Jaune left the medical wing of Beacon and began following Glynda to her quarters.

* * *

 _ **Velvet**_

 _Jaune wants to leave Beacon..._

These were the thoughts that plague the mind of young Velvet.

 _I know Jaune. This place is his dream. His whole life, he has only ever wanted to help people. I know he can't give that up. Cute stubborn boy._

It was lunch time and Velvet found herself alone walking to the cafeteria. Her team offered to walk with her but she kindly declined their offer. It wasn't difficult to get lunch for both him and herself.

 _He wants to leave because everyone around him wants him to fail. To leave Beacon and never return. I can understand why he wants to leave but there is something keeping him here. Besides... I don't want him to leave. He is unlike any huntsman-in-training I have ever met. Kind to a fault yet weak. His convictions are strong yet he doubts himself and ask if there were points he could have done better. He has no skill yet he works hard to catch up to us._

 _If he leaves. He will give up his dream of ever becoming a Huntsman. No other school would willing take him._

Velvet knew the reasons why he won't be accepted. Also, leaving Beacon would end up harming him in the long run. In her heart, she wants to convince the young man to stay. But, if she does... wouldn't that be cruel of her?

 _Nobody wants him here. They will continue to bully him until he gives up... or dies. He wouldn't be able to learn anything and he doesn't have a trustworthy team to do missions with. Any headway he would have will have will be limited since he won't be able to enter the library without anyone noticing. He could try and go in during the later nights when no one is around but he won't be able to sleep then. Any way I see it, Jaune's life as a student in Beacon is over. And there is nothing I can do to help..._

As her thoughts moved onto the more heavier side of things, teams RWBY and NPR were waiting for her inside. The moment she entered the dinning hall was the moment the two teams stopped her.

"Hey Velvet," Ruby greeted her with a sweet smile. For some reason, Velvet looked at her with a hint of disgust which was quickly replaced with a guarded smile. The only ones to notice the change was Ren and Weiss, who grew silent when they saw it. "We were wondering if you could answer a question for us?"

Velvet sighed but she visibly had her guard up. She knew what they did to Jaune and really didn't want to speak to them but they blocked her path towards the eatery. In the end, she didn't have much choice.

"What do you want to know?" She asked with a forced smile.

"We were wondering if you know where Jaune has been... or what happened to him?"

The smile in her face slowly died a horrible and painful death as a frown grew in her features. Everyone unconsciously took a step back as an aura of anger spread around her like the blazing fires of a doomed forest in the middle of no where.

 _Wondering what happened to him? WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!? You all pushed him away and drove him to suicide! If it wasn't for Miss Goodwitch timely intervention then I would have spent my days crying my eyes out for him!_

Her anger can be physically felt as her fist opened and closed tight unconsciously. In the end, she bit her tongue and turned away before she would do anything _they_ would regret.

"No." She answers as she quickly made her way to get some food. "I don't. Sorry, but I need to get some food for my team to eat."

Her lie could be easily seen but she didn't care at that point. She just wanted out of there as quickly as possible.

* * *

 _ **RWBY and NPR**_

"I knew she wasn't going to say anything" Yang said. "She didn't even stay with us for five minutes before she left. It was dumb to even try."

"Well, let's just go ahead and have lunch. You all remember the plan, right?" Ruby asked as she turned to everyone.

They all nodded and went to get some food to eat, all the while watching Velvet. They all talked casually about things but they would occasionally glance towards her. Velvet ate her lunch by herself, as always, but soon got up and deposited her leftovers on the thrash bin. As she walked to return her plate she got a new tray and a trolley. She picked up some food and left the cafeteria.

Everyone saw what she did and decided to follow after her.

"She said that she was getting food for her team right? She only got a tray prepared and the amount of food she has seems to be only good for one person." Ruby pointed out as she recalls the food she chose. "There is no questioning it, the tray she prepared is for Jaune."

"Perhaps, but we don't know for sure. Let us continue following her at a distance and see where she ends up." Weiss said as the others agreed.

As they followed her, they began to see that she was heading to their communal dorms. They were about to stop following her when they saw Velvet walked pass the dorms. They honestly thought that she was hiding Jaune in their team's dorm but they were wrong. Velvet continued walking ahead and began heading outside at an increased pace.

The two teams saw her running and gave chase... or they were about to until something unexpected happened.

Glynda Goodwitch appeared from seemingly no where, crop held up in a menacing stance that caused the two teams to stopped in their tracks. In front of them, Velvet continued to run as the two teams could do nothing but watch.

"Children, can you please explain to me why you were running across the school?" Glynda wasn't blind, she can clearly see what they were doing.

Unlike them, Glynda knew Velvet was the one of the few remaining _true_ friends he has in this school. The tray in her hands brought such conclusion as she remembered hearing from Ozpin about asking they young rabbit to help out Jaune. The two teams were chasing after her and it was no surprise to Glynda that they were looking for Jaune.

Unfortunately, for the two teams, Jaune doesn't want to face any of them... for now. So, she decided to stop them and give up on this chase. Also, she needs to help Velvet go and meet Jaune somewhere else as he was already dismissed from the Medical Bay.

"Well, Miss Goodwitch... we were uh... just trying to follow Velvet? We wanted to talk to her about something?" Ruby tried to answer despite her growing fear.

"Is that a good enough reason to be running around school? Also, Miss Scarlatina clearly wishes not to talk to you." The cold she gave them grew colder as some of the gulped.

"Eh heh heh. Um... sorry Miss Goodwitch, we'll be on our way then."

The two teams dispersed and went their separate ways. Ruby spared one last glance towards the direction Velvet was heading, not knowing that Pyrrha was doing the same.

They knew there weren't done.

Not by a long shot.

* * *

 _ **Glynda Goodwitch**_

 _It is a good thing I came along. It looked like they would have followed her until they found Jaune... or Velvet decided to beat them senseless. No doubt they will try again when I'm not looking. But, for now, I have to tell Velvet that Jaune will be staying with me._

Glyda began heading for the Medical Bay. When she got there, she saw Velvet talking with Peach.

"Can you please tell me where he is? I promise that I won't tell anyone."

"Forgive me, Miss Scarlatina, but I can't give you details of what or where a student is staying. It is against the school rules."

It was at this moment Glynda decided to get their attention.

"That will be fine, Miss Peach. I'll be taking her to Jaune myself. She is trustworthy and a good friend to him."

The two turned and Velvet was surprised. Peach, however, was genuinely glad. Glynda can tell that Peach has grown worried for the boy after finding him in such a mess. It is just like her to care like that.

"Thank you, Professor Goodwitch, for stopping them and for trusting me to see Jaune."

Glynda nodded towards Velvet, a small smile gracing her features.

"Your welcome, Miss Scarlatina. Now come along. Have a good day Miss Peach."

"Tell Jaune he needs to take it easy, Miss Goodwitch."

As they left, they failed to notice a certain rose following right behind them. The reason the young rose was able to silently follow them was because of a certain advice she received to a certain teammate of hers.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

"Remember Ruby, Faunus senses are much sharper than human senses. Their acute sense of hearing make it difficult but not impossible to follow her. So, you'll need to take off your shoes so that the sound you make as you walk on the floor will lessen to an almost inaudible step." Blake explained as she had experience with some Faunus whose hearing are so sharp they can tell when they are being followed.

"This will be our only chance to follow her to get to Jaune. You are the best candidate to do this as your petite body and low height can make you practically invisible. Also, your semblance allows you to make a quick get away when things become difficult. Velvet would have a difficult time hearing your footsteps once you find her."

"I guess you are right Blake. But, what will you guys do?" Ruby asked.

"The rest of us will be heading back. We don't want to take the unnecessary risk of being discovered if we joined you. You'll just have to come back and tell us what you found, okay?" Blake answered as the rest agreed. Ren took note of her advice and would later implement it on his own for future stealth operations.

"Okay, but let's practice so I can have a better chance of succeeding."

And so the group helped Ruby try and learn the art of stealth all the while Blake was criticizing her for making background noise while trying to stalk someone. Over all, it was an improvement to how Ruby was before she learned the art of stalking someone.

* * *

"Okay Ruby, You can do this. All you have to do is follow them; find out where Jaune is, and then go back to the dorms. Easy peasy."

Luckily, Ruby was able to follow them as she made sure to keep her distance. She was far away that her small pep talk wouldn't be heard even if she whispered.

She kept on following them and began to realize where they were headed. The place they were getting close to was the Teacher's section of the school dorms.

 _If Miss Goodwitch is taking Velvet to her dorm... and Velvet was trying to give Jaune food... then he is probably somewhere in there._

 _Okay, I got that one solved but why would Jaune be there? And Why was Velvet at the Medical Bay earlier? Was Jaune sent to the infirmary after we saw his cuts?_

 _If so, then why not tell us? Or more importantly, why not tell his team where he was? It just doesn't make sense._

Her hunches were correct, to her surprise, as Glynda guided Velvet to a room... or what she would later find out, Glynda's room.

"Jaune, I'm back. I brought Miss Scarlatina along so that she can give you some lunch."

Absence. Is what Ruby thought as there was no reply from inside the room. Glynda tried calling Jaune again, thinking he may be in the bathroom. But nobody answered.

It was when she entered that she noticed a small note on the table.

"What does it say, Miss Goodwitch?" Vevlet asked as she put away the trolley inside at the small kitchen area inside the room.

"Dear Miss Goodwitch, I left this note so you wouldn't worry about me being gone in case I wasn't around. I left to go and meet with Professor Ozpin. I want to talk to him about something. I'll be back soon, Love Jaune."

"Wait, wait, wait... Jaune wrote that he was going to talk to Professor Ozpin?" Velvet asked with a note of fear in her tone.

Both Miss Goodwitch and Ruby were confused because they have no idea why Velvet sounded so worried and scared.

"Yes, he did. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Oh no..." There was a small whimper coming out of Velvet before she turned to Glynda, clear worry in her eyes. "You see... Jaune said-it was yesterday- when I was talking to Jaune; he said something that is making me extremely scared right now."

From inside, Ruby can tell Miss Goodwitch raised an eyebrow at Velvet who was twisting and turning in worry. "What did he say to make you so concerned?"

"He said... he said that he might not want to be in Beacon anymore..."

"What?"

 _What?_

"You are telling me that Jaune said he wants to leave Beacon?" The surprise in her tone didn't surprise Ruby as she, herself, froze just outside their room.

She knew Jaune, despite their separation, and knew that it was his dream to become a Huntsman. It was a dream so beautiful that it stuck with her ever since.

 _He... he wants to leave Beacon..._

 _But, this is his dream._

 _Why would he want to-Oh._

Ruby's changed from stunned surprise to knowing sadness. She realized why Jaune wanted to leave.

 _It's because of us... isn't it Jaune?_

Sensing the unasked question, Velvet made to answer it despite Ruby not wanting to hear it herself, "It is because of _them._ " There was a clear tone of anger at her last work.

Miss Goodwitch didn't know what to do, she stood there asking herself why.

"We don't have enough time right now, Miss Goodwitch. We have to stop Jaune." Determination. It was the feeling Ruby felt as Velvet declared her intentions to stop Jaune. Miss Goodwitch contemplated for a bit before breathing deeply.

Sensing they were about to head out, Ruby sped away from the door as it was about to open. She didn't use her semblance as the room was right next to a corner she can hide in.

The sound of a door opening quickly and feet rapidly disappearing from a distance can be heard as Ruby stood still, clutching her rapidly beating heart.

Something wet hit her hand and she looked down to stare at it.

It was tears.

Tears rained down from her eyes as she silently went back to her dorm.

All the while, she was silently apologizing to Jaune... for all the things she did to him.

* * *

The elevator door opened and out went Jaune. He looked around the office and saw many moving gears greeted him and the desk where the person he wanted to see laid.

"Greetings, Mr. Arc, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you so soon?"

Jaune resolved himself. There was no turning back now.

"Well, Professor, I came by to give you my answer."

A brow raised from Ozpin before smiling and taking a sip from his cup.

"Ah... and what is your answer, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune breathed as he knew that these words would change his life forever.

"I accept."

* * *

 **Beta Corner:**

 **Story Revised 4-07-2019. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Notes: This is a bitch to edit.**

 **You guys owe me for working on this. This is the longest chapter that Cur Sombre owns. Usually, he writes around five thousand words but this takes the cake.**

 **With this, all the previous chapters have been edited and re-worked to better fit the narrative of the current chapters. Hope you find this easier to read.**


	6. Interlude 1 (Ruby)

Ruby was walking back to her dorm as her face remained the same when she walked away from Velvet and Glynda.

Her tears fell from her face as she couldn't help but feel immense guilt eat away inside of her.

 _He wants to leave Beacon and it is all our fault._

 _His dream, the one thing he always wanted to be and wanted more than anything else to achieve... and he is already at the verge of giving up._

 _All because of us..._

 _And our stupidity..._

Such thoughts plagued her mind as she continued heading her way back. It was a slow pace as she wanted to hide her tears from them. Eventually, a memory resurfaced to the forefront of her mind.

She nearly chocked with a sob at the significance it held...

* * *

"Hey, Jaune," Ruby called out to him on that particular day. A regular day she recalls even to be the same as they did previously, "I've been meaning to ask... but~ Why do you want to become a Hunstman?"

Currently, the two were walking together at the park of Vale. It has been a month since initiation and they have grown to be fast friends. They chatted and even though Jaune wasn't as good as everyone else in combat, she honestly didn't care.

In the end, it all comes down to having a friend who liked things she liked and could hold a conversation with her without that feeling of awkwardness she exudes.

"Why do I want to be a Huntsman? Well... I guess it all comes back to the fact that my ancestors, warriors of great renown, were great heroes of their time. And, I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Though, in truth, I just want to help people. You know?"

Ruby thought it was a good reason. Compared to the others, who have their own agendas, Jaune had a good heart. She was about to say something but Jaune continued.

"But, there is more to it than that. You see, back home, we are a small community. Whenever there was a celebration, we would always attend just to make everyone happy. If there is a death then we would all mourn, just to let them know how sorry we are for their lost and to let the dead know we cared. But, there was something else that stood out more than most. And that is my family helping and defending the town from Grimm and Bandits."

Jaune's eyes glowed with excitement as he continued his tale.

"From there, I felt that this... the people whose smiles are worth their weight in gold, is something worth fighting for; worth protecting from the dangers in the world. I have always wanted to help people who can't help themselves. That's why, when I see someone in need of help I always go ahead and help them."

Jaune turned to Ruby and she saw the most honest and kind smile she has ever seen.

"Protecting the people I care about. With everything that I have so that nobody can be hurt... so no one would cry anymore. But more than that, I want to be a hero. I want to be a hero people would look up to and would know they can rest easy as I go against the forces who want to destroy the things we've built. Of the happiness we have found in ourselves."

The conviction Jaune had as he told her about his dreams made Ruby look at him with wide eyes. Soon, Jaune realized that he said those words out loud and in front of Ruby no less!

"Um... sorry, didn't mean to ramble on like that." He said with a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Ruby just continued to stare and this caused Jaune to be both confused and uncomfortable.

"Uhh, Ruby? Hey, Ruby you okay there?" Waving his hand in front of her face caused her to blink her eyes once again.

"Uh... oh! Sorry Jaune, guess I got caught up in your speech there that I lost focus for a second." A bright luminescent blush graced her cheeks accompanied by a bright smile.

"Oh, that's okay. Sorry for talking like that. You must think I'm weird for saying those things."

"What? No, of course not! Why would I think that? If anything, I think your dream is great and represents what a Huntsman should be about."

"You really think so?"

"Of course! Jaune, there is nothing to ashamed about. Your dream isn't ridiculous and anyone who says so will deal with me!"

Ruby declared while flexing her flimsy arms which made Jaune laugh. Ruby suddenly got upset by that so she pouted and began hitting him with her small arms.

"Ah, please stop Ruby!"

"No! Say your sorry for laughing at me."

"Ok ok! I'm sorry, now please stop hitting me."

Her onslaught was short-lived as she turned away from him. Only to start giggling which then led to a round full of laughter. This got Jaune to smile again and laugh along... till they stop to catch some much needed oxygen.

"Heh heh ok that's enough laughing for now." Jaune said still trying to catch his breath.

 _"_ Heh, yeah, heh, your right."

"Okay, now that were done laughing, why don't you tell me why you want to be a Huntress."

Ruby contemplated for a second before giving an answer.

"Sure, why not? I mainly wanted to become a Huntress because I wanted to be a Hero... just like the ones in picture books and stories you tell children. I wanted to be one so that I could help make the work a better place. Also, the reason I chose this path is because both of my parents were Hunters and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Ruby may have not known of it at the time, but Jaune thought her conviction was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It caused him to mark this memory down as one of his most important moments of his life.

"Wow. That's... wow. That's a great reason to be a Huntress! Better than my reason," He said in a joking manner. But Ruby thought otherwise.

"What!? No, your reason is much better!"

"No, your reason is better."

"NO yours is."

"NO yours is."

"NO yours!"

"NO yours!"

Both were about to continue until Jaune raised his hand up stopping Ruby.

"Look, let's just say we both think our reasons are equally good. Deal?" Jaune said while holding out his hand.

"Okay... but on one condition." Ruby said with a look of mischief.

"And what's that?"

"Let's promise to become the best Huntsman and Huntress we can be. Together. And support each other every step of the way. Deal?" She said as she held onto Jaune's hand with a knowing smile present that Jaune knew he had no choice but to agree. Really, he had no reason not to and he eagerly squeezed his hand around hers in return, a smile also present in his face.

"Deal."

* * *

 _But, I didn't keep my end of our promise and now our friendship is destroyed._

Ruby was getting close to her dorm now. And yet, all she could think about was that she did to him and how their friendship is ruined. It was her fault. She got angry at him for his transcripts and took things too far. She betrayed his trust and all she can do now is watch as he walks away from his dreams.

As she was getting closer to her room, she checked her scroll and saw that not even an hour has passed since she started following Glynda and Velvet. At this point, she just wanted for the day to be over. She wiped away her tears and her eyes grew dull from the growing weight of guilt building up inside her. She smacked her face a bit to fix her expression before opening the door and heading inside.

* * *

 **Beta Corner:**

 **Story Revised 4-07-2019. Hope you guys enjoy it.**


	7. The First Step

"I accept."

With those two words, Jaune has changed his life forever.

"Are you certain, Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked as he looks at the boy who went through so much at his school.

"I don't wish to make it so that I am pressuring you to give me an answer immediately."

Truly concerning for the Headmaster of Beacon Academy to give Jaune the choice of living a civilian life. As a Hunter, your life is forever chained with that of the Grimm.

However, Jaune knew, even more, the life he was throwing away if he chooses the life of a Hunter.

"You don't have to worry, Professor." If there was any doubt in Jaune then Ozpin couldn't find it. "This is the path that I choose... I have no regrets; there is nothing I want more than to become a hero."

To his surprise, Ozpin believed the young man. Few have the drive Jaune has... and he has a whole school of Huntsmen under his teaching.

"Very well, Mr. Arc," A hint of a smile appeared on Ozpin's face as he faced Jaune. "Let us begin."

Ozpin brought out a tablet and placed it on his table. A hologram came up with images of multiple people as well as text. Background Data, Jaune noted as there were a few familiar faces among them; Miss Goodwitch chief among them while the rest were people Jaune had never met before.

Before Jaune could even look at the images clearly, Ozpin called his attention once again.

"Mr. Arc. As I said yesterday," He took a sip of his cup as he regards the images before Jaune. "If you choose to stay and follow your dreams that I would provide for you a teacher."

Jaune noted that all of them have official Huntsmen Licences.

"Now as you know, as Headmaster of Beacon, I have special connections to many people. The same people you see here are successful Huntsmen or Huntresses. Each one has the skills to make you into a powerful Huntsman... a Hero if you want."

The images were enlarged to better see everyone on the hologram.

"You may see the names and weapons that they use but nothing more than that."

Jaune nods in understanding. These people are official Hunters and their information is something that most people would kill to have. However, Jaune was confused about why he would choose who would help him out. He can tell that each of the teachers could help him improve his current skills or teach him in areas he has trouble improving.

Winter Schnee and Taiyang Xiao Long.

Clearly, by their last names alone and faces that these two are related to Weiss and Yang. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have one of them as his first teacher. Especially since the current relationship, he has with his friends is strenuous at best.

General James Ironwood.

He seems like a nice choice and he has a firearm which may help him with his marksmanship and gun handling. However, the fact that he is a general doesn't leave him at ease.

"He must be busy. A General of an Army so he might not put any of his focus on me... or, if he did, will put me through rough military-style training. I'll pass for now." Is what Jaune concluded as he moved to the next person.

This left him with two people Qrow Branwen and Glynda Goodwitch.

"I know Miss Goodwitch and she is trustworthy," Jaune gave a small smile as he continues to look at Glynda's file. "Is she going to go all out on me? Push me? Or is she going to hold back as she doesn't want to hurt me?"

Jaune turned his sights to Qrow, "Qrow Branwen... I don't know him much but he uses a sword that can mech shift. Maybe he can help me improve on my swordsmanship and teach me a few techniques?"

Truly, a difficult choice for Jaune Arc. Both are good choices as he is forced to admit. However, one person won out in the end as he knew who he would pick before coming here.

"I choose Miss Goodwitch," Jaune turned to the Headmaster with a fond smile. Ozpin noted how he seemed much more relaxed than he did moments ago.

"A choice by familiarity and comfort."

It was best for Ozpin to keep this to himself for now.

"Miss Goodwitch; I had a feeling you would end up choosing her," The file was chosen and Glynda stood out in the hologram. "May I ask why you picked her, perchance?"

"Well," Jaune started as he scratched the back of his head. "I felt that I should go with someone I know."

Jaune eyed the other choices he was offered then turned back to the Headmaster.

"Based on the names of the others... I can tell that they are related to Weiss and Yang." Jaune placed his hand on his left shoulder in discomfort. "I don't think I should go with them first. Maybe in a later date but for now... I don't want to be close..."

Jaune trailed off with a look of hurt in his eyes. Ozpin felt that he was trying to fight back tears and somewhere inside of him, he felt guilty.

Ozpin forced a smile to appear on his face as he addresses the young man, "I understand, Mr. Arc. But I know you saw Qrow Branwen's file. He is a swordsman like yourself... why not have him teach you first?"

"It makes sense, Professor..." There was a look on Jaune's eyes that Ozpin couldn't quite tell what it was. "However, Miss Goodwitch was the person who I wanted to teach me. I already had her in mind before I came here."

Ozpin smiled as he accepted his choice. "A satisfying answer, Mr. Arc. Now here is what is going to happen. You will spend the three months with each teacher here."

He pointed at the assembled files of Hunters.

"So you have enough time to learn and get stronger from each of them." Ozpin chose them carefully out of the available associates he has that wouldn't mind training the young Arc. He draws something from his desk as he continued, "Also, here is information about Miss Goodwitch. You will find yourself surprised to learn that she is well versed on many skills you may have not known she can do."

Jaune received a flash drive from Ozpin!

"What is this Professor?" Jaune asked as he inspects the flash drive. It had the Beacon symbol on it and felt strange when he caressed it with his thumb.

"That," Ozpin pointed at the small object, "Is a special flash drive containing information about Miss Goodwitch. Normally, I'd ask you to know her yourself but this is faster and will save you time."

Jaune had a feeling that this was a breach of privacy... but then again, if you are employed by the Headmaster of Beacon then privacy is a luxury you don't have anymore.

"You use it by plugging it in your Scroll through the headphone socket. The scroll will immediately transfer the files inside and save it in your scroll. You can then simply remove the flash drive and any information in it is erased."

Jaune thanked whatever god listening that Ozpin actually gave some of the Beacon staff some level of privacy.

"Wow," He also had no words to say on how to describe what he is feeling right now. "Cool... isn't it a bit too much for me to have this?"

It didn't help that he still wasn't comfortable with the knowledge that the flash drive has everything to know about Glynda.

"It's fine, Mr. Arc." Jaune wasn't reassured. Not one bit. "It is just basic information nothing more, but if you want some more information then you can come to me. It would be a great risk if I gave you all of our Hunters information, right? So I felt that giving it to you one at a time is a safer bet."

And now Jaune felt like a total creep. He also wasn't sure what the look the Headmaster was giving him but Jaune was sure he didn't want to know.

"Okay..." He started as he pockets the flash drive. "Thank you for this... I promise you won't regret giving me this chance. I will become a great Huntsman."

Jaune found his footing as he focuses back on his dreams. Ozpin smiled as soon as Jaune relaxed.

"I'm sure you will, Mr. Arc. Now, all we need to do is call Miss Goodwitch and get started-"

Just as he was about to finish talking, the elevator doors opened to reveal figures the two weren't expecting to see.

As Ruby returned to her dorm room, she saw her teammates and the remains of NPR turn to face her.

She saw that Yang was on her bed, laying down and relaxing.

Weiss was at the desk doing homework.

Blake sat comfortably on her bed with a book in hand. Her amber eyes turning to her as she put her book down.

The members of team NPR are sitting by Weiss side of the bed. Pyrrha sat dutifully on Weiss' bed, her hands on her lap before turning to Ruby. Nora was on the floor with Ren, absentmindedly playing with a bomb canister as Ren meditated next to her.

By now, everyone is aware and looking at Ruby. Their stares were becoming unbearable as she stood there saying nothing.

"What should I tell them? We went out of our way to find Jaune and now... I feel like I don't want to tell them anything..."

She was so focused on her thoughts that Ruby failed to notice Yang come close to her.

"Hey, Rubes, you okay there?" A tone of concern left her lips but it flew by Ruby's ears.

She stood there unresponsive with a blank stare. It went on for so long that everyone was growing concerned for the normally hyperactive girl of the group.

Yang decided to take matters in her own hands and went up to Ruby and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Ruby, Remnant to Ruby. Are you there? Is everything fine?"

Yang shook Ruby until she finally snapped out of it. "Uh... huh? What... Yang, did you say something?"

There was something about Ruby's tone that quickly ignited Yang's Big Sis mode like a wildfire. However, she held her concern as she continues to talk to Ruby.

"Yeah..." She trailed off as she looks at the others. Everyone sharing Yang's concern as she continued. "I was asking if you were okay because you've been standing there doing nothing for a few minutes now."

"Oh, I just had a lot on my mind," Ruby answered noncommittally.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yang asked trying to push a more Ruby-like response from her.

"No," Ruby started as she turned from Yang to everyone else. "Not now. Besides, I know where Jaune is."

This caught everyone's attention as their concern shifted to curiosity. Ruby couldn't tell if they are concerned or just curious of the blond knight. Some of them had a look of anger flash on their faces before turning neutral. Ruby decided to tell them what she knew even if it felt wrong.

"Jaune's been staying with Miss Goodwitch. By the looks of it... he has been staying with her for a while now,"

There was a collected look of confusion shared among them before turning back to Ruby.

"Are you sure, Ruby? Why would Arc be staying with Miss Goodwitch though?" Weiss asked in slight confusion. It was obvious that she wasn't concerned about Jaune but finding out that Professor Goodwitch was keeping him caught her by surprise.

"It's what I heard from them, Weiss." Ruby's hands clenched just the slightest margin that no one seemed to notice.

"Wait, them? Who else was there with Miss Goodwitch?" Ruby turned to Weiss slightly with a tilt of her head. The action caused Weiss to look at her with confusion before Ruby answered.

"Velvet... Velvet was there when I heard them talking about Jaune..."

Ruby lowered her head as the others continued to speculate.

"Okay. So Velvet is allowed to be near, let alone know where Jaune is... and everyone else is left in the dark?" Blake asked as her days working with the White Fang is being put to good use.

A voice spoke out, like the crashing waves of the sea meets the shore.

"It was because she isn't a danger to him."

Everyone, including Ruby, turned their heads to meet Pyrrha. A forlorn smile greeted them as she looked down on her lap.

The silence that followed was almost deafening to her. It was like no one understood what she meant. No, she knew that some of them can, but refuse to even admit it. So, Pyrrha proceeds to explain to them why Velvet is allowed near Jaune.

"Velvet was never one to hurt or disrespect Jaune. She also was not around the time his transcripts were revealed. Although, that may be due to Jaune refusing to have Velvet involved. Miss Goodwitch must've known by then... otherwise, she wouldn't have Velvet near Jaune."

"Makes sense, it was also probably why she stopped us from chasing her," Yang added as the others speculated how Velvet got involved in all of this.

"But there is something that still confuses me."

Once again, silence reigned in the room.

Ruby is the brave soul who asked Pyrrha this time. "What's that?"

Pyrrha regarded Ruby with her piercing emerald eyes. Ruby, for some reason, felt guarded when said eyes peered into her silver ones.

"Ruby, you said Jaune's staying with Miss Goodwitch. How do you know for sure?"

Ruby wasn't sure where this was going but answered anyway.

"I heard Velvet talking to Miss Goodwitch down the hall near the staff dorm rooms. It was right before they left."

Pyrrha nodded, a sense of calm gracing the room as she talked.

"Why would they leave... unless Jaune wasn't there..."

Ruby stood there nonplussed. It was then she realized where Pyrrha is going with her questions as her eyes were wide with fear. Ruby tried to remain silent... but everyone was starting to wonder about it too.

"She's right. You were there and overheard them, but they left immediately. Which means that Jaune wasn't there." Weiss deduced as she turned to Ruby with a calculated look in her eyes.

"Ruby, you also looked nonplussed when you returned. I am going to assume that what you heard... has really upset you." It wasn't a question as Pyrrha can tell from Ruby's earlier actions.

Ruby looked down, the silence was telling as it only proved Pyrrha's words to be true. Yang, the ever worried sister, began fidgeting... not liking where this was going. However, Yang decided to get involved... even if what she will hear will only make her mad.

"Ruby... if what she said is true... then tell us what they talked about." There was a moment when Yang felt a boiling violent anger stir inside her. But, she reeled her emotions in as she continued calmly. "Please?"

Ruby looked up and turned to Yang. Her silver orbs threatening to spill with tears. Her heart beating so fast that it was beginning to hammer in her chest like it wanted to be free.

What do I do!? I... I can't tell them.

How will they react if they know?

Wi͏l͞l҉ ̸th͡e͜ỳ ̨e͝v̵en̨ c̡a͢r̸e?͞

Ruby continued to stare at Yang as her thoughts continue to go at war inside her. It stopped when Pyrrha declared something which only frightened Ruby even more.

"They talked about Jaune, didn't they?" There was no mincing of words as Ruby stopped looking at them all together.

In a second, Ruby made a decision. She decided to run.

So with a quick motion, Ruby made for the door as fast as she could. Sadly, her hood betrayed her at that moment as the door slammed shut. The sound was akin to that of a cell door closing.

Turning around she saw Yang holding onto her hood. Turning back to the door, she noticed Pyrrha had used her semblance to lock the door by using the doorknob.

"Ruby!" Yang screamed in anger. "Why did you just try to run!?"

Pyrrha was much calmer than Yang. For she had a solemn look on her face as she asked, "Please, tell us what they said."

At that moment, before anyone knew, something broke inside of Ruby.

"Jaune..." She choked as she bit her lip. Tears are now freely falling down her face as she screamed. "THEY SAID JAUNE MIGHT LEAVE BEACON! HE IS GIVING UP ON BECOMING A HUNTSMAN!"

The declaration was so sudden that Yang let go of her hood.

Ruby fell on the floor, a sobbing mess as she curled into a ball. Her normal knees meeting with her chest as she continues to cry.

This time silence was met with the tears of a pained child. A child who was losing her first friend because of them.

Pyrrha stood there, her eyes wide and a few specks of tears beginning to form. A storm was brewing inside her calm facade.

Ren and Nora sat there, staring at Ruby with disbelief. They didn't know what to do...

They didn't know what to say...

Yang, Weiss, and Blake... they were just there, staring at their downed leader. A once proud Huntress-in-training was reduced into a sobbing mess from what they found out.

Because of Jaune...

While the rest of team RWBY didn't know what to do... Yang decided to take action.

After all, it is the job of the big sister to comfort their sibling.

"It's okay, Ruby. It is going to be okay." She gently wraps her around her arms. Soothing her with whispers of promises that everything will be fine. Empty promises but Yang is willing to lie to Ruby if it means she stops crying.

The tension in the room caused the members of Team NPR to get up and make for the door, wishing to leave team RWBY with some privacy.

That was the plan... until Weiss stopped them.

"Hold on," She called to them. "Don't go, this isn't any of your faults."

Despite trying to be reassuring, NPR knew that in some way the fault is with them. However, they decided to stay. Some time passed and Ruby's tears were beginning to subside. It was followed by her sniffles and soon was followed with deep breaths. All this time, Yang was holding onto her like she was about to break like glass if she let her go.

During it all, everyone will remember her painful wails. Of her continued apologies and calls for Jaune. And soon, the peaceful allure of sleep took her and Yang was there to carry her.

Yang carried Ruby to the bed, a distracted look upon her face. Inside, she felt conflicted. Jaune made Ruby cry. Sure, Ruby tends to be a cry baby, but... the way her voice cracked as if Ruby's heart was ripping apart... the only time this happened was...

When Summer never returned...

In a flash of anger, Yang's hand, which was holding a bedpost, clenched so hard you can hear the wood snap in two. Splinters littered Yang's hand... but the pain is nothing compared to the knowledge that Jaune shares the same space their mother, Summer, had within Ruby's heart. And it brings her no joy that the faker is held so highly by her baby sister. If she were honest... she couldn't deny the possibility that she felt afraid... and jealous of Jaune.

"Yang ... are you okay?" Blake asked... a rare moment of concern showing from the former terrorist.

Yang took a deep breath. Her eyes, she was sure they were red with anger, turned back to lilac. The bedpost she was holding was placed down. She inspects her hand, a slight drop of blood was dripping from her hand.

Yang decided to remove the splinters from her hand. Blake returned to her after getting a med kit from the bathroom. When they were done, Yang nodded to Blake and thanks her.

"I'm..." Yang closed her eyes and breathes through her nose. "Okay... I think. Just... just really frustrated..."

Blake nodded in understanding. It was rare for Yang to not go on a rampage... and during the times she didn't was something to behold.

"She still cares for Jaune... Ruby still thinks of him as a friend." Blake regarded her team leader slightly before turning to Yang. "And it infuriates you, but you can't stop her feelings. She's made her choice... and while we may not totally agree with it... we can't do anything about it."

A girl of few words, that was who Blake is. No one is more surprised than Yang hearing her say her thoughts for so long.

Yang smiled, though it was quite pained with frustration and anger.

"I know... I know, but I just hate it!" Yang held her voice back slightly but they can tell she was barely stopping herself from yelling. "She cares too much about him... even though the bastard lied to us. What makes it worse... is that I wish we could do something about it,"

She wasn't wrong. Everyone in the room, in some way, agreed with her. There was just too much pain to truly forgive Jaune... and there were too many reasons to hate him too.

"Well," Weiss called from her place near the table. "We can't do anything right now... other than to wait,"

Yang closed her eyes, her fist clenching tight. She knew that Weiss was right so she acknowledges her point.

Team NPR took that cue to finally leave the room; no one stopping them this time.

Yang, Blake, and Weiss each turned in for the night. There really wasn't anything else to talk about after the revelation they just witnessed.

Yang, however... was still thinking about Jaune.

Arc... you and I are going to have words. Hopefully... it will be soon...

Jaune sat there in surprise as two figures came inside Ozpin's office guns blazing.

"STOP!" They yelled as they kick the door open.

During all this, Jaune was rooted in place. He was surprised to find the two of them here so soon. The same cannot be said of the girls, however, as Glynda turned to him with a withering glare.

Jaune had once experienced the same glare from someone else... someone he was trying hard to repress.

"Jaune Arc... I want you to come here this instant." Her tone could freeze the air around them and even make Ozpin's coffee cold.

Which is why Jaune found himself fearfully walking towards her. Jaune's breathing was slightly ragged as fear crept his mind. An audible gulp can be heard through the silence of the room as he stood in front of Glynda.

"Now, what is this I hear about you thinking of leaving Beacon!?"

Jaune didn't know what to say exactly. It was at this moment he turned to Velvet who was giving a terrifying glare of her own. It caused him to turn his eyes back to Glynda despite the feeling of dread overwhelming him.

"SPEAK!"

At the command, Jaune did something they didn't expect.

Jaune landed on his butt and raised his hands over his head. There was a terrified scream as he gave rushed apologies.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Tears were running down his face as he tried to move away in fear of them. Everyone in the room froze. The anger of the two momentarily forgotten as they continued to stare at the young Arc.

Glynda moved and Jaune prepared for the worst. However, he found himself in the warm and comforting embrace of her arms. Slowly, Jaune dared to open his eyes despite shaking like a leaf and wanting to run away.

What greeted him were tears. Glynda was holding him close with tears in her eyes that stopped him from shaking all together.

"Jaune..." She called softly which tingled in his ear. "It's fine... everything is alright now."

There was a moments pause before shaky hands returned the hug. The tears falling from Jaune were different now. They were warm and full of love.

"Jaune... is it true? Are you leaving?" She asked with a shaky breath of her own. Jaune can guess why... but he continues to think that nothing is wrong. So, he held her much closer. Not wanting to lose her warmth as much as possible.

"No..."

Jaune's voice was so small and soft that it felt like Velvet was the only one who heard. However, Glynda stopped shaking so she heard him clearly.

Jaune smiled as he let go of Miss Glynda. There was a smile on his face that replaced the despair from moments ago. Feelings of hurt were replaced by concern. Concern for the woman who showed him nothing but love and support.

He would hate to lose someone like her... he really would...

"I'm not leaving, Miss Goodwitch."

This time his voice was heard clearly and you can hear someone sigh in relief from his confirmation.

It was the only words that needed to be said as Glynda gave a smile of her own. Jaune got closer and wiped her excess tears. She was glad that he did that for her.

"I'm sorry that I caused you two trouble. But I assure you... I won't be leaving."

Jaune turned to Velvet who was silently stunned with the display. Jaune moved towards her swiftly that Velvet didn't notice him until it was too late.

He caught her in a hug of her own.

Tears were held back as Velvet took the hug and held Jaune close. She didn't want to see him in pain again. Never again for as long as she was close to him.

"Are you both going to be okay?" Jaune finally asked after he let her go.

"Yes." "We'll be fine."

The answer caused everyone to smile.

"Can you please explain what is going on?" Glynda asked as she was confused about why Jaune was here.

Jaune explained the situation and the circumstances of his deal with Ozpin. He shared his thoughts, his fears, and also his resolution to continue to be a Huntsman. The two listened intently, no words were exchanged during the explanation and Jaune was glad for their patients.

"That's pretty much everything that happened."

"Geez, I can't believe you are going to go through all of this." Velvet said with a sheepish smile on her face. How cute, Jaune thought as he blushed slightly.

"I want to fulfill my dream. If staying here can help me... then I'll gladly bear this pain and continue moving forward."

There was a slight concern for his words, but no one said a thing. He wasn't wrong in assuming the trials ahead and the possible encounters he will be facing.

It was during this moment of silence that Glynda asked him something.

"Jaune, you told us that multiple teachers will be guiding you. Who among them have you decided to teach you?"

Jaune had a sheepish look on his face as he turned away slightly and scratch the back of his head.

"Well, Miss Goodwitch, I chose you."

Glynda stood surprised by the revelation.

"M-Me? You picked me?"

"Yes, and I have an important question to ask of you," Jaune said as he grabbed one of her hands. He looked directly into her eyes and asked her a question with all of his heart.

"Will you be my teacher?"


	8. A Conflict Within

"Will you be my teacher?"

These words weren't uttered without some hint of worry hidden beneath them.

Jaune was a lot of things.

Confident he was not.

Knowing that he was asking for Glynda Goodwitch, Dean of Beacon Academy, to take more time out of her busy schedule is asking for too much. And, if he were, to be honest, kind of nerve-racking.

If she said no then that was it, Jaune will have to choose another teacher to guide him and he may not be comfortable with them. The seconds felt like an eternity has passed. Jaune patiently waited for her answer and as the clock tics by nausea begins to build upon his lower stomach. Signs of anxiety begin to form as his eyes dart in every direction but Glynda's eyes.

Until it, all ended.

"Yes,"

Jaune had no idea hearing those words would have such a profound effect on him.

Did he hear her right?

Did she just say 'yes'?

"What did you say?"

Glynda can see the clear confusion on his eyes and the tone he set off concerned her. However, one thought stood out from the myriad of thoughts racing through her. And all of them involve the boy in front of her.

"I said yes." The tone she used was clear and full of care. It was the kind she used rarely in her career as a huntress and dean.

Jaune searched her for any lies. In the end, her eyes gave it away. They were an unwavering pair of green eyes; he likened it to a plain of healthy grass back home atop a hill where he used to play with his family. His eyes looked down on her lips, a small but reassuring smile met him.

At that moment, Jaune couldn't help but feel that she was an amazing person.

It took him a bit but he manages to gather his bearings and let the fear inside slide off him. He knew that Glynda could be trusted. He knew that his first teacher will guide him down the right path.

"Thank you, Miss Goodwitch... t-thank you..." The small number of tears fell from his eyes as he was grateful for her support. Somehow, he found his hands squeezing tightly on their own as he held her hand.

Glynda, in her professionalism, squeezed back. She can feel the slight beginnings of calluses start to form on Jaune's hand. It was proof of the hard work and training he has been doing on his own all this time.

Glynda found herself enjoying holding his hand like this as she said, "You are very welcome, Jaune."

"Wonderful," And the moment was over as Ozpin congratulated Jaune. "Now, Mr. Arc, if you and Miss Goodwitch are done I would like to talk over some things before we are done here."

Jaune drops his hands but doesn't realize that Glynda slightly clings longer on them. As his hands left hers, Glynda turns to Ozpin. If he had noticed something wrong with her, he didn't voice it. Instead, he turns his attention to the other occupant of his office.

"You are free to stay, if you wish, Miss Scarlatina." Velvet turned to her headmaster in surprise as Ozpin smiled. "It is clear to me that Mr. Arc here trusts you. It is not a problem to have you be a part in this."

In his honest opinion, Ozpin is happy to see Jaune getting the support he needs. In his mind, he is no doubt disappointed with the two best teams to have entered Beacon in recent memory. Despite the fact that Jaune used fake transcripts to enroll here, many of the staff likes him. Even Professor Peach likes the kid and she rarely shows interest in the students in her class.

Jaune was someone that everyone knew has the potential for great things. Being a Huntsman was just the beginning for this young boy.

Velvet was conflicted to give an answer at first. It ended when she turned to look at Jaune. She knew in her heart that she wants to be a part of this. A part of his small group of supporters who want to help him. So when she noticed Jaune smiling at her and mouthing the word "stay" she made up her mind. She regards Glynda and her, in turn, nodded and smiled. Velvet turned back to Ozpin, a fire in her eyes that he caught only once during her initiation.

"Interesting," Ozpin thought as the only time she was this motivated was when she secured her partner in the soon to be formed team CFVY. Perhaps, he thought, Jaune is bringing out the potential of others as well.

"Thank you, Professor. I will stay and listen. If there is anything that I can do to help Jaune... then I'll do it!"

"Your welcome and I do believe I have something that you can do to help Jaune. We'll be talking about that in a little bit. Now, if you will take a seat," Ozpin gestured to the empty seat next to Jaune and Glynda.

"First things first, Jaune Arc." Ozpin called as Jaune gulped slightly, "Due to the unfortunate nature of your circumstances, you will be staying with Miss Goodwitch for the duration of your three months of training. We will talk about rooming on a later date once we work out the schedule on who will teach you."

Jaune turned to Glynda who turned to look at him as well.

"I'll have an extra bed fitted into her room so you may have somewhere to sleep and we'll have your belongings moved to her room as well."

Jaune returned his gaze to Ozpin as Glynda frowned a bit about the awful situation Jaune was in. There was a tight gripping of her crop before she exhaled and turned to the headmaster as well.

"It is best that you are not left by yourself in your own dorm room. The majority of the student body has not forgiven your fake transcripts, Mr. Arc." Jaune slightly lowered his gaze as Ozpin sighed lowly. He made better students than this. He told himself. How did it get this bad in all his years of teaching?

"How both of you will share and function the room she's in will be up to you two, understood?"

"Yes sir/Professor," Both said at the same time. In their heads, there will be a serious discussion on how they will handle things once they leave.

Both of them realize they will share a room by themselves, each of opposite gender with no one to bother them. The age gap seemed to hardly matter to them as both are slightly attractive in their own right.

They were suddenly more aware of their situation and became nervous. However, it was a slight concern for both of them as this was the best option Jaune has for now.

"Excellent," He smiled and there was a bit of amusement in his tone; no doubt due to the hilarious circumstances they are now in. "Now about your training, Mr. Arc. I will give your scroll full access to the training rooms and lockers so you may train in peace at any time during the day. I suggest training during the early mornings and during class periods. I don't want any of my students causing any more unnecessary harm to you, Mr. Arc."

He then turned to Glynda who sat up straight as the focus was on her, "Miss Goodwitch will train you during the evenings and weekends so you don't have to worry about her conflicting class schedules when she is teaching in class. We both know you aren't the only student she has, Mr. Arc but she will spare you the time you need. This is it, for now, the two of you may discuss things between you and how you should handle the hours needed for training. Also, do factor in Miss Scarlatina in your training. Believe me, Mr. Arc. You will find yourself quite surprised by her years of experience when she helps you train alongside Miss Goodwitch."

All three gave a nod this time.

It was strange, Ozpin thought as he looks at the three in front of him. That it was during trying times that people truly band together to get stronger.

They didn't need to voice out their thoughts for now. Everything was laid out as they wanted it. They'll figure out a schedule eventually and have a great time. There was no doubt that everyone was on-board in improving Jaune's training.

"You will also follow the same procedure for your education, Mr. Arc. I'll send assignments to your scroll so you can work on it while not going to class and I will have Miss Goodwitch give you copies of the lessons you missed. Miss Scarlatina here will certainly help you out as she has already gone through some of the lessons you will go through. Think of it as an online class, except you aren't able to be in class and staying away from angry students. You'll have access to the library and be able to learn at your own pace."

Jaune was beginning to calculate how much time he will have to work on to mix training and learning in his schedule. He wasn't worried about how it will turn out. He will do everything he can to improve himself. Academics are essentially a given as he doesn't want to fall behind anyone.

Ozpin's face turned very serious at that moment. It was rare for him to have that look on him as everyone was slightly on edge. The next few words he will give were of the utmost importance for the young man.

"Your schedule will be filled to the brim, Jaune Arc. You will find yourself with little time for recreation. However, if you wish to become stronger this is the only path you have. There are no shortcuts for success. Only hard work and effort matter, Mr. Arc. There will be a lot more strain that you will be putting yourselves into, especially since Miss Scarlatina is a second year. You will all have less time for yourself and for your team. Are you all aware of this but still wish to continue?"

Silence reigned in the room once again. They are all aware of the sacrifices that will be made for helping Jaune. The pains, exhaustion, and the time they will never have back for him to just get stronger.

It was in this silence that a voice spoke out. And all were surprised by who it was as she was the one person who never was one to speak up unless talked to.

"I understand what you're saying, Professor." There was a silent determination in her voice that just made everyone listen. "But, I don't care! Jaune is one of the greatest friends that I have. If helping him will cost me time then I will gladly do so. I will be there to help him all the way! So that he will be much closer to his dream."

Her conviction moved all of them and made the headmaster very proud. It was during times like this that her quality as a huntress was showing and no one was prouder than Ozpin himself.

This declaration gave Glynda the encouragement to move forward as well.

"I too will give up my time to help. I have seen how much Jaune wishes to become a hero... and honestly, I find his resolve to be very beautiful. I don't care about the time that I will lose to help him. I have decided to do so because it is the right thing to do." Glynda turned to Jaune and smiled. "I'll be there for you when you need me, Jaune. Rest assured, I will make your dream come true."

They both left Jaune speechless and stunned. A piece of his heart skipped a beat as he felt the heartwarming reassurance the two gave him.

It was at this moment, Jaune made a vow. A promise he made to himself that will shape his destiny.

But that is for another time...

"Well, Mr. Arc," Ozpin called Jaune, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You've heard their piece. What say you?"

Jaune watched as Ozpin stood from his chair and walked towards him. Remembering the promise he made while looking at both Velvet and Glynda gave him the courage to speak.

"I promise that I'll give it everything that I have. To become stronger. I will not fail you, Miss Goodwitch and neither will you Velvet. This is my Arc promise and an Arc always keep their word."

Ozpin remained silent for a short time as all of them stared at him with determined eyes. Then he began to lose his seriousness and his smile returned to his face.

"Good, very good, I just wanted to hear you all say it. With that, I believe we have discussed what has been needed to for now so you may all leave."

And with that, Glynda, Jaune, and Velvet smiled at each other before making their way to the elevator. There was silence as they are making their way down the bottom floor. Nobody knew what to say, after all that happened. However, there was a sense of camaraderie between them. As the elevator reached the first floor, they all went off and began heading to Glynda's room.

When they reached the door, Jaune finally turned towards Velvet.

"Thank you, Velvet, for everything... I can't thank you enough."

Despite the fact that Velvet knew that he was grateful, Jaune decided to let her know with his own words anyway. It was important to him to let her know that he appreciates her help more than anything.

"You don't have to thank me, Jaune. I just want to help you because that is what I want to do." Velvet didn't see it but there was a slight coloring of red beneath Jaune's collar. If she did, she would blush and stammer on what to say next. It was lucky for both of them that she didn't. "Besides, this way... we can talk to each other more often. That's nice, right?"

When she turned around, Jaune didn't stop the blush forming on his cheeks this time.

"Anyways, I should probably be going. My team will most likely be wondering where I've been all day." She turned around and gave a beautiful smile. "Goodbye, Jaune."

And just as she gave her smile she turned back around and left. If she had stayed any longer, Jaune might've noticed the blush forming on her face. Glynda finds the whole thing amusing as she puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, Jaune, why don't we get you settled in."

About three weeks into his training, Jaune found himself pushing to surpass the limits he once faced during his time with JNPR. It wasn't to say that he was wasting his time while training with them but that Jaune reached the point where he found the many mistakes he was making while under the care of both Glynda and Velvet.

It was also during this time he began to see improvement in his academic pursuits as well. The parts of his studies he was having trouble with before are now seeing better results. His swordplay has also improved. Surprisingly, or not since this was Beacon, after all, Glynda knew a lot about swordplay. She wasn't the Dean of Beacon just for show.

Under her tutelage, Glynda taught him the basics which he got down quickly. Implementing it down to his own sword style was difficult as Pyrrha's unique style of combat is deeply ingrained in him. With their help, Jaune was able to move past her style and use his own.

Right now, Jaune is using one of the training rooms under the watch of Glynda. They were just finishing up on their round of training for the day. Unfortunately, Glynda was only able to show him the basics of swordplay; she wasn't a master and was barely an expert so Jaune's skills weren't up to par with Beacon. They were, however, on par with Beacon initiates which was an improvement in itself.

"I believe we are good for the night, Jaune. You've been doing very well the past two weeks and you are growing at an astonishing rate." Glynda rarely praises anyone so when she does it is a sight to see. In fact, she wonders why he wasn't trained much earlier if his growth is this amazing.

Something to take note of for later. She thought as Jaune lays down exhausted.

"Thank you, Miss Goodwitch. But none of this is possible without you and Velvet's help." Jaune closes his eyes as a smile forms on his lips. "I don't think I could get this far on my own."

Jaune was perspiring as he took deep breaths. They had been training him for about three hours. A mixture of Aura control and working on a different sword style they are trying out on him. It was already eleven o'clock at night when they were done. This is how he has been training for a while now. This doesn't include any training he does on his own though.

"Flatterer," Glynda cooed as she looks down on Jaune. "You give yourself little credit. All of this" She gestures around her, "Is all your effort. Your determination has gotten you this far and it will continue to get you far in the future as well."

"Thanks, Miss Goodwitch," He chuckles as Glynda helps him get to his feet. The two began to leave the training room and head back to their shared room.

As they walked down the hall, Jaune began checking his pockets and noticed her forgot something. Something he shouldn't really lose is this school.

"Shoot!"

"What is it?" Miss Goodwitch asked with a startled face. Everything was silent and comfortable until Jaune broke that silence.

"I think I left my scroll in the training room."

"Well go ahead and find it. I'll be at the room when your done looking."

"Ok, I'll be back."

With that Jaune ran back to the training room so he could find his scroll. Luckily it wasn't hard to find since it was just on the ground inside the ring. It must've dropped when he was laying down on the floor earlier.

"Man, I really have to be more careful with this. I should remember to take it out before I start training from now on."

As Jaune exited the training room and began walking back to the room; he was checking his scroll to check if there was anything online worth checking out. He had started to look through news after spending time with Glynda, so it became a habit for him to check the local news.

He found an interesting article about dust prices that caught his attention. He was so distracted that he didn't notice someone walking towards him. As they began to come closer, Jaune notices the echoing footsteps getting close. He looks up and he instantly regrets staying back and retrieving his scroll.

For it was someone he didn't want to meet.

Ruby Rose.

 **Ruby**

Three weeks.

This was the amount of time that passed since she last heard of Jaune.

No one knows where he went and sadly for the young reaper, no one seems to care.

The only warning they had was when Jaune's possessions have been removed from (J)NPR 's room.

That day, Ruby felt like her heart was ripped out for the second time in her life.

She recovered after spending a day in class and asked around for any sights of Jaune. But, no matter who she asked no one knows where he is. It was like he left. It didn't even reassure her that he may still be in Beacon as the students she talked to bad mouthed the young knight. Needless to say, Ruby didn't want to believe any of it and refused to do so.

What was worse was the apathetic response she received from the others.

Three weeks ago...

"Jaune left?" Was Yang's response after learning Ruby couldn't find him anywhere. A cold silence remained in the room as no one talked... at first.

"The dolt ran away? That's a shame... I'd would have wanted to have a talk with him. In private." There was a cold tone in Weiss' voice that Ruby only heard once during their time together. She doesn't understand why she was angry. There was only cold indifference in her mood as she returned to working on her papers.

"..." Blake didn't even look at her as she waited for her response. She was currently reading her book but her hand stayed on the same page she was reading in. Something was on her mind at that moment but Ruby didn't bother to ask.

..

But, for some reason, Ruby felt that some part of them... deep inside their hearts they cared somewhat. She believes this is so as everyone was checking up on her and asked if she heard any news related to Jaune. There was a certain look of anger and disappointment in their eyes as no news came to them. It was almost as if they believed that he was still here... and are angry that Ruby still cares about him.

Ren and Nora appeared to be a bit upset; but other than that, they appear to be of the same opinion as her team. Pyrrha, on the other hand, seemed flat out upset for some reason. There was something in her eyes that told Ruby there was something more she didn't want to reveal but chose to hide it instead. When she asked, Pyrrha told her that she was still annoyed that Jaune lied to them. Other than that, she refused to say anything else.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Ruby felt like she was all alone.

"Is this how he felt that day?"

She asked herself as no one seemed to care about him anymore as the days passed.

This led her to decided to keep her mind occupied by doing late night training sessions. It was so that she wouldn't have to face the sad truth that she may never be able to see Jaune again. That and the terrible dreams she was beginning to have.

However, by some miracle, today was different as she decided to leave early as everyone else was asleep.

Silently coming down the hall, her thoughts were of Jaune and the sadness he felt as he was all alone when they left him. Her eyes refused to leave the ground as she walks a bit faster to distract herself. It was until she turned the corner that she heard footsteps ahead of her. Wondering who was up at this hour, she decided to look up.

At first, she was confused, the face she was seeing was obscured by the darkness of the hall. But soon, as her eyes adjust, she notices blue eyes looking up at her. Realization struck like lightning as those same eyes look at her with recognition, the same as her own as they continued to stare. It was the one person she spent weeks looking for. The only person who has occupied her thoughts for days with no clues to his whereabouts.

It was Jaune.

 **Jaune**

Ruby Rose.

One of the people who left Jaune that led to the moment he decided to end his life.

One of his closest friends; the girl who talks to him cheerfully and looks up to him for the dreams they shared together. Out of everyone he knew and met, she was the closest friend he had that understood him as he did her.

She was also the one who hurt him the most.

A painful betrayal that to this day still haunts him. And here she was, standing before him with a stunned look on her face.

They didn't know what to say. Or if Jaune should say anything at all. So they just stood there as the second's tick by, frozen in place as the cracked crescent moon shines just outside the windows.

Its ethereal glow shines down the two of them.

Bright blue meeting lustrous silver.

"J-Jaune?" Ruby stuttered out finding her voice after moments of staring at each other. Her voice was soft but outside the empty halls of Beacon, she might as well have shouted as Jaune heard her loud and clear.

He didn't know what to do at this point. All this time spent on getting better, proving himself that he belongs here at Beacon and he ends up stump on what to do. He didn't plan for this; the moment when he accidentally meets with anyone from team RWBY or his own. He silently cursed himself for not being prepared and now he can do nothing as one of his worse fears is standing before him.

"Jaune?" Ruby called again, afraid as Jaune continued to stand still in silence. "Jaune, please say something?"

Ruby pleaded, her voice a little bit louder to get him to talk. Jaune refused to acknowledge this; acknowledge her.

In the silence, Ruby resolved herself. She took a step forward with a hand raised towards him.

That got a reaction out of the blond teen.

And it wasn't a good one.

Jaune flinched and moved back with a jump to his step as she moves closer. His eyes were locked in place as fear replace his once calm complexion.

When she saw this Ruby stopped. She stood there nonplussed at the actions of the young knight. But her emotions got the better of her as worry etched on her face as she resumed to get closer with quicker steps.

It was a terrible idea.

If slight movement from her caused him to flinch then walking towards him caused him to move a full step back. This continued until Jaune decided to run. And run he did as his feet echoed through the empty hall.

Ruby didn't allow him to get away. This was her chance and she isn't going to lose it so she chased after him.

The chase was on!

Two figures running through the night as their steps echoed throughout the school. No student was out that night except for the two of them, so no one heard the commotion they are causing. At this moment, Ruby used her semblance to get closer. Their race caused them to end up in the courtyard as Jaune was beginning to tire and slow. Ruby saw this chance and took it, speeding up and tackling him on the ground.

Red roses are scattered about as two teens lay down on the soft grass with the moon shining above them.

Jaune immediately tries to get up and away from Ruby but she refused to let go. This time, Ruby called out to make him stop.

"Jaune stop! I'm trying to talk to you!"

But he refused to listen. Try as he might, he was still tired from the training he went through with Glynda. Add in their little run from earlier and Jaune found himself hopelessly held down by the young reaper. Still, try he did and Ruby struggled as she straddles his stomach and holds down both of his arms to keep him from moving.

"Jaune! Stop it! I just want to say-" She tried to say but Jaune's scream drowned out her words.

"LET ME GO!" He screamed causing Ruby to stop as she saw Jaune up close for the first time.

Jaune's eyes were lock shut as tears came running down his cheeks. He was shivering uncontrollably as she holds him down.

Ruby was stunned and stopped moving for a second. It was at this moment that Jaune took his chance and overpowered her with what little strength he had left. He pulled his right hand free and pushes her chest causing the little rose to be knocked away from him.

Ruby has pushed away but the look from Jaune's eyes which switched from fear to elation caused her to pause.

Jaune took this chance to crawl away from her as his life depended on it.

Ruby placed a hand to her chest as there was a slight pain welling. This caused her to stare at her chest in surprise as Jaune wasn't usually that strong to cause physical pain when she had better Aura control. But he somehow did and Ruby stares at him as he got to his feet.

She didn't know what to feel. Pain? It was there but Aura was working on making it go away. Guilt? Hers was in spades and it grew more as she continues to look at Jaune.

But all of that was nothing compared to the look of unadulterated horror spreading on her face as she realized that she was causing him to fear her. Her! Ruby Rose! The sweetest girl in Beacon you will ever meet!

She reached out a hand to try and stop him but by then Jaune has already turned around and flee. The only thing she can do is stare at his retreating back as he runs back inside Beacon.

The pain inside her chest was different from the one Jaune gave her from his earlier push. This time, it was the type of pain she felt when she was filled with sadness as tears ran down her cheeks.

The same face which Jaune made as he ran away from her.

 **Beta Corner:**

 **Hey guys, my name is Alewar Warinot. I am Cur Sombre's beta reader starting now and in the future. I'll be honest with you, I haven't watched the RWBY series when I first started being a fan.**

 **I know you guys must think it is sacrilege to work on someone's story when I don't even know the characters that well but...**

 **I really don't have to.**

 **With absolute honesty, I tried to watch the show.**

 **With little success.**

 **In all honesty, reading the work of other writers has me more hooked than the show and I can relate more to their portrayals of the cast than in the show.**

 **Well, I did binge watch RWBY Chibi and had some laughs but that isn't a reason not to watch the series.**

 **Anyways, I offered my services to Cur cause his style of storytelling resonates with my own style of writing. Mainly causing drama and writing interesting scenarios between characters.**

 **You see, I worked for ten plus years in writing in Romance and later added a bit of drama to make the story appear real and alive.**

 **It was the feeling I was trying to convey as I fix the chapter was the feeling of sympathy and empathy. In simple terms, I am the type to focus more on the characters feelings than the story's actions. It may be even be called a crutch but I'll be damned if I can't make a simple scene ten times more intense!**

 **Anyways, I'll try and work on the previous chapters too so that the story makes sense to some of you. Please leave suggestions on your reviews on things you think we should improve on so the story can reach a satisfying read.**

 **Hey, guys, it's me so for right now updates will be coming but slowly. I can't make promises that I can't keep. Also, we do plan to have the beginning chapters rewritten so the story has a better beginning. I am sorry for those who want a new chapter quickly but this is important if the story is to become better.**

 **If you all want the remake of the beginning chapters then go ahead and PM or Review me so I can tell if this is what you all would like and to give me your thoughts over this chapter. Ok Bye!**


	9. A New Pain

The halls of Beacon were silent before Jaune decided to run, his footsteps were loud but the usual occupants during the day wouldn't complain. For Jaune Arc though, well, he was glad there was no one there to stop him. He wouldn't even if he could. He just wanted to be as far away from Ruby as possible at the time.

He ran, no matter how tired he felt he kept running. It wasn't until he opened the door to his safe haven that Jaune finally stopped to take a breath.

He looked around while he labored his on. It was Goodwitch's room, their shared room, he thought and he was gladder than ever to have a room he can be far away from others. He collapsed on his knees before he even knew it. The sound causing Goodwitch to turn to the door in shock. She just got out of the bathroom, she changed into her nightwear. Jaune has gotten used to seeing her in such clothing; the see-through gown not doing him any good during some days, but he has gotten semi-used to it.

When she finally reached Jaune, she noticed he was completely drenched from head to toe. This greatly worried her as she kneels beside him.

"Jaune!?" She said as Jaune was doing his best to return oxygen into his body. With her help, she manages to lift him by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and holding his side to carry him to his bed. Jaune was grateful and blushing, he breast felt weird with his drenched attire but his mind was more occupied with filling the air and stopping the drumming in his ears as the sound of his heart kept on pounding hard.

While Jaune was concentrating his breathing, Glynda noticed the look on his face. It was filled with tears causing him to have a splash of red filling the corner of his eyes. The more she looked the more things clicked into place. Jaune was crying and something happened while they were separated. A heavy filling of guilt wormed its way through her heart. She shouldn't have left him alone.

As soon as she was able to have Jaune rest in the bed she was able to go back into the bathroom to grab a small face towel. Jaune lay collapsed on his bed as his breathing finally gave way to small pants. But Glynda was on his side the minute she got the small towel to wash his face clean. In her honest opinion, Jaune looked miserable. There was no denying that Jaune went through a traumatic experience.

"Jaune..." She called as Jaune lay there. His consciousness was fading but he heard her. "Jaune, speak to me. It is going to be okay. I'm here for you," Her gentle tone was like a gentle breeze one spring morning. It caused him to open his eyes and look at her. Green eyes met Blue, and Jaune can tell that Glynda was worried for him the moment their eyes met. He guiltily looked away despite Glynda holding her gaze.

"Jaune..." Glynda said sadly. She raised her hand, Jaune flinched slightly causing her to freeze for a second before resting her hand on his. A few awkward moments pass before there was a silent hum.

Glynda was humming a soft and gentle tune. It reminded him of the times his mother would calm him down whenever he cried. Slowly but surely, Jaune started to calm down and talk to her.

"Miss Goodwitch?" The sound of his voice was small. Smaller than what Glynda knew of the boy as her humming slowed to a stop.

"Yes Jaune, it's me." She answered, equally a small whisper.

"I-" Jaune tried to remember what happened. But all that came out was static. "What happened? I am... so tired..."

True to his words, Jaune was completely exhausted. More so than he usually was when the two trained.

"Jaune, I don't know what I don't know." Jaune's hand shivered slightly as Glynda held his hand and rubbed his knuckles. "Tell me, what was the last thing that you remember? Perhaps, that could help us."

There was a short moment of hesitance, but Jaune managed to calm himself and nodded.

"Okay, I'll try..." Jaune closed his eyes and looked through the static fog that was his memories. Jaune wouldn't know at the time, but the moment he tried to peer into the static he held onto Glynda's hand tightly.

"The last thing I remember... is going to get my scroll from the training room." At this time, the memory was much clearer and Jaune went on, not knowing the rest of his memories won't hold the same clarity. "When I left... I was looking at the news on my scroll. I wasn't really paying attention for a while... until I heard footsteps."

His hold on Glynda tightened. Glynda, herself, felt slight discomfort but decided not to stop him at the moment.

"When I looked up... I saw... I... saw..." Jaune couldn't finish his sentence as the static began buzzing more in his ears. But he remembered looking at a black skirt and a-

"Jaune," Glynda called out to him. Jaune opened his eyes and saw her hand placed on his shoulder. Looking down, he noticed his grip on her other hand and he instinctively let go.

"Jaune, I know it may be painful for you... but please, for my sake and yours, finish what you were saying. I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened."

There was a beat of silence the reigned the room before Jaune gulped and nodded.

"Good. Now tell me, who was it you saw?"

Jaune was unknowingly fighting off tears at this point. But, with a look of determination set in his eyes, Jaune dove back into his memories. When he did, he was greeted with a jumbled mess of cries and heavy panting. A voice calling out to him, desperately crying out for his attention but he couldn't... he wouldn't...

Then, the image cleared and the haze in his mind faded. He recalls looking at his scroll before looking up.

He gasped as he now knew who it was he met that moment.

It was Ruby Rose. His first friend... the one who _betrayed_ him...

The rest of the memory played out and this time his tears flowed freely from his eyes. With a shaky breath, Jaune told Glynda everything. Everything that happened that night and what happened after. He was having difficulty at first until she placed her hand behind him and rubbed his back. It filled him with comfort and Jaune was glad she was there.

He tried to continue but ending up exhaling empty air. But he persevered and told her.

"Ruby... the two of us bumped into each other on that hall. We made eye contact... she wanted to say something and got closer to me. I... I was afraid and backed away. But, when I did, she moved towards me again... then, I started running."

The memories were coming back to him more smoothly now. But it was painful for him, for some reason, to recall what happened.

"S-She chased me... all the way into the courtyard. I was slowing down and then she... she... she tackled me..."

Jaune shivered and there were goosebumps all the way to his arms. Glynda held him close, urging him to continue and that it will be fine.

Everything was _not_ fine. Jaune concluded as his shivers barely stopped.

"She held me down... straddled me. I struggled to break free. She was trying to tell me something... but, I just wasn't listening. I didn't want to hear what she wanted to say." At that time, Jaune felt fear. It was already too much to see her but having her corner him like that. He wasn't taking it very well. "She yelled at me to stop... and that's when I screamed at her to let me go."

The silence that followed was nearly suffocating but Glynda managed to speak as soon as Jaune decided he didn't want to continue.

"You screamed at her?" She asked with a raised brow. It took Jaune a moment but he did give her an answer.

"Yes... I did. And somehow... it _worked_." There was a hitch to his tone that Glynda caught. But, Jaune continued before she could even ask. "She stopped for all but a second and that's when I shoved her away from me."

Jaune wrapped his hands around Glynda and this time she returned the gesture. It was obvious to her now what happened.

"I slowly started to crawl away... then I remembered turning... and the running. I ran until I got here. That's all that I remembered."

Glynda spent her time contemplating, what she just heard... it confirmed her fears for Jaune. Despite herself, Glynda began to _talk_ about what she learned from him, "Jaune... well, Jaune I don't know how to say this. I don't want you to be too startled when I say this but... I believe that you may be suffering a form of Post-traumatic stress..."

"W-Wh-What?" Jaune stuttered, completely stunned by the revelation. "Post-traumatic stress...? H-how could I have Post-traumatic stress?"

Jaune couldn't believe it. He didn't _want_ to believe it. But by the look Glynda gave to him, this was very much was the truth.

"Jaune, you experienced things that, frankly, some of us don't want others to experience their whole life." Glynda held him close to her and Jaune couldn't help but look on completely dazed. He couldn't believe this was happening. "You experienced something so traumatizing that... you refused to acknowledge it without even know that you were. It can happen sometimes, to people who experience traumatic events."

Jaune shook. No, it wasn't possible. Most hunters don't go through any post-traumatic stress. The call to duty, the reason why they became hunters was so that they can face Grimm without fear. Yet, here he was, in a world where pain and fear were close by and he didn't even know it.

"Jaune, you were betrayed by those closest to you. It caused you emotional harm and then the bullying started," At the mention of bullying, Glynda felt Jaune shift beneath her. If she looked down, she would have seen Jaune gripping his arm in distress. "You were cutting yourself, Jaune. To cope with the stress... and then, there was the spar... and your suicide attempt."

"But," Jaune tried to argue. Really he wanted to deny all of this. "Why haven't I showed any signs? If I had PTSD for so long, as you said, why hasn't been there obvious signs until now?"

"Jaune," Glynda called, taking a deep breath. There were many things she wanted to say but now wasn't the time. First, she wanted Jaune to realize and accept the fact that he was suffering far longer than he realized. "Think, what was different from those times to what happened recently? What caused you to go over the edge? To make you think that it was better to just... let go?"

Jaune didn't need to think. He knew who exactly she was referring to.

"It's them... isn't it." Jaune took a sharp breath as his heart beats rapidly. "It is because of them that I... have this?"

Shaking, if Jaune were to ask Glynda she would say they were just small tremors. But really, the shaking was caused by the heartbreaking conclusion that he came to. His old friends, the ones he trusted and now distant acquaintances, the people that made him cut his wrist and nearly cost him his life... are the reason for his _condition_.

For his Post-traumatic stress disorder.

It didn't help that Glynda agreed with his conclusion. "Yes... unfortunately, they are. You cared for them, Jaune. There is no denying that but when they left you... a part of you broke. And it let you down a dark path."

Broken and defeated, this time the tears in his eyes continued to flow without stop and Jaune could not deny the pain he felt for so long. Not anymore.

"Why... why did they leave me...? I... I was in so much pain... I... I just wanted to be a hero..."

Jaune clung to Glynda as she held onto him. Her own arms were shaking and if he looked up Jaune would have found her nearly breaking down as well.

And so, they cried, Glynda was silently weeping while Jaune was openly bawling. The pain in his heart wouldn't subside until later in the night. Glynda held onto him for as long as possible.

Jaune was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. The stress was taking its toll on him and he finally collapsed in the bed. Glynda wiped her eyes before turning back to Jaune. A sad smile would have greeted him if opened his eyes as she held onto his hand for a while longer.

A few moments would pass and Glynda finally let go. She moved Jaune a bit and rested a blanket over his body. He needed to sleep; both of them do.

It was with these thoughts that Glynda moved to her desk across the room where her scroll was waiting. She took it up and sent a small message to Ozpin. It detailed that she wanted to speak with him first thing in the morning.

It was with a sober mood that she put her scroll back down on the counter, where a charger waited to be used, and went outside to the hallway and closed the door behind her. She knew that if she stayed then Jaune would wake up. She pressed her forehead against the door for a moment and brought her fist up to pound on it lightly.

If she stayed inside then Jaune would have heard her cry. And try as she might, she didn't want him to grow worried. Her legs felt weak as she slowly slid to her knees and bent down in a praying position. Her hands hid her face as she continued to cry.

It was late into the night when she finally opened the door to her room. If anyone saw her at that moment they would have seen a different Glynda from the one they grew to know. She closed the door behind her and went to her bed. Any emotion that she felt right now was forgotten as her face slid into an apathetic state. She slid into her covers and turned off the lights. The room was silent as Glynda let sleep take over.

She knew in the morning that there would be a lot to talk about concerning the young man.

 _ **Ruby**_

Ruby walked down the hall with her arm still clutching the part where Jaune had hit her. The pain never left so she went about staggering back towards her dorm.

She was tired. Both physically and emotionally.

But even when the pain was gone she still felt an immense stinging in her heart. It was from the guilt that she felt when she saw Jaune's fear and tear ridden face. Any hope she had to talk with Jaune was gone that day. And, if anything, she felt that it would be impossible to even try if they met again.

 _We hurt him so much..._

 _Why? Why did we leave him? Why did I betray his trust?_

 _I knew his reasons for coming to Beacon. To become a Huntsman._

 _He wanted to be a hero... a hero who wanted to protect the people who never wanted anything in return. To him, the act of saving people fills him with happiness._

 _To protect his family,_

 _His loved ones,_

 _His... his friends._

 _So... so..._

 ** _WH͜Y͘ ̡D͝ID ͏W҉E ҉B͜ET͘ŔA̶Y͞ H͢IM̸!̨?_**

Ruby staggered into her room, small tears falling from her face of what little she had left. She looked around and noticed that no one was awake. Or so she hoped. All she wanted to do right now was get into bed and sleep. Her gaze turned to a wall, the wall shared by another team they were neighbors with. Team NPR's dorm.

 _Jaune's old dorm room. The place he would call home and where I would always find him whenever I wanted to talk with him. Where I would always find him reading comics and talk about superheroes. To ask him if he wanted to hang out. To be there with advice or encouragement when I needed it when I was feeling upset._

 _And now_ , she thought bitterly, _a reminder of the things I took for granted._

She remembered the fun times they used to have together. He was always there when she needed him. His smile would always brighten her day and they would laugh and talk about things that came into mind. It all came crashing down as she realized that those times were now over.

She took it for granted. His kindness. If she wanted to talk or hang out, Jaune would always be there and make time for her. It made her happy.

 _Now... now it no longer holds his presence. Now it is just a room with one less person inside. A room that used to be the place I could find him. The place I could always find my best friend._

It was with these thoughts in mind that she finally changed into her pajamas and climbed into her bed. Sleep seemed to allude her before she started nodding off. However, as she slowly closed her eyes, the only thought that came to mind was Jaune... and how she slowly crawled away from her.

 _ **The next morning**_

The sun shines brightly outside as the rays hit Ruby as she started to stir. She blinked away the sunlight for a bit before turning to her scroll.

 _Six thirty, Friday, October 11th … plenty of time before the others should start to wake up. I should take a shower while I can since I know I'm not going back to sleep._

Lazily, she climbed out of bed and dropped towards the floor. The jolt caused her to remember vivid details of what happened the night before. Her heart was filled with guilt once more but she couldn't cry. The pain was she felt was no longer there.

All she felt was a numbing sensation in her chest that just didn't feel right.

Ruby ignored it at the moment and went to take a shower. She grabbed her uniform and went inside. She noticed her reflection in the mirror and when she looked at it she wasn't surprised to see what she found.

Her face had tear marks leading down her face. Her hair was in terrible shape and her eyes were slightly red from the crying. But, even with all of this, Ruby's face remained the same from when she woke up; completely apathetic with a slightly paler complexion than normal.

She didn't really care about it as she turned on the water so it would be at the right temperature. Checking with her hand, she felt the water was at the acceptable range of heat and began discarding her clothes.

Throughout the entire shower, her face remained the same. She finished and stepped out of the shower with a towel in hand. Drying herself and putting on her uniform, she checked the mirror and found no difference to when she woke up.

She picks up her dirty clothes and puts them in a hamper for washing later and stepped outside to check the time on her scroll.

 _It's seven o'clock, they should start waking up about now._

True to her words, Ruby saw that Weiss was slowly starting to rise from her slumber.

"Ruby?" Weiss called as she slowly rose from her bed and stretch a bit. She turned to focus on her when she noticed Ruby come out of the bathroom. "What are you doing up so early? How long have you been awake?" It was then panic overwhelmed her as she fell from her bed. "Wait! What time is it!? Are we late?"

She asked fully awake and ready to head into the bathroom in a moments notice. The resulting noise caused the others to wake up as well.

"What happened!? What's going on!?" Yang shouted, jumping out of bed and looking ready to fight.

"Nothing's happened Yang, Weiss was just surprised that I'm up so early," Ruby informed them in monotone. That seemed to do the trick as Yang, at least, calmed down. Ruby was about to continue but was interrupted by Blake.

"Ruby," She called from her covers as her head slowly popped out. "I know I am not the only one thinking this but... why are you up so early and dressed for the day?"

Blake was getting out of bed when Weiss looked ready to comment but was stopped by Yang. "Yeah Rubes, you are usually the last one up or at least you would wake us up with only an hour to get ready."

Ruby shrugged, not really caring at the moment.

"I just woke up early. I knew how long it would take you all to get ready so I went in first. Besides, it is not like its the end of the world if it happens so let us just move to pass this and get ready for the day." The tone she used was different compared to the other times she spoke to them. Frankly, it was strange to everyone but Ruby. They decided to drop it for now and went to get ready for class.

"Ok Ruby, we'll get ready. Why don't you go over to Team JNPR's room and see if they are awake? You can go ahead and get some breakfast without us." Weiss said before she entered the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Okay…" was all Ruby said before she turned towards the door and left. As soon as Ruby closed the door, Weiss came out of the bathroom and turned to the others.

"Okay, we all know something is going on with Ruby. She seemed really off just now." Weiss said as her gaze lingered to the door to their dorm.

"Yeah, and did you see her face?" Yang asked while wondering what was going on with her little sister. She knew something must be up as Ruby usually was so cheerful. Her intuition was telling her that something bad happened and this worried her. She remembered the only time Ruby acted like this... and it was after she learned that Summer was _dead._

 _I hope she isn't like this because of that faker. I know she still cares for him but she has to learn that he is not good for her. He lied to us. Lied about what he did and what he got away with. That is something that we can not forgive._

"It was completely devoid of emotion. Usually, I'd call it morning grogginess but it hasn't changed the entire time we talked." Blake pointed out. She knew that there was something going on with Ruby and thinks what could have possibly caused for Ruby to act like that. "She was completely apathetic towards us and woke up before any of us did. If it was us, waking up early wouldn't have been too strange. But, the fact that it was Ruby gave me warning signals. That and she didn't seem to care at all about anything."

Yang agreed despite her growing concerns. "You're right, Blake. I know my sister better than anyone and I know that something must have gone wrong if she is acting like this with us."

Weiss sighed. This wasn't something she wanted to deal with this early in the day. "Well, there is not much we can do for now. We need to get ready and have breakfast. Perhaps during lunch or after classes are over we can ask her about it."

 _ **Lunch**_

Lunch was a different affair and was getting stranger and more worrisome for the three. Ruby, so far, has been acting the same since this morning. Throughout the classes she had, Ruby wouldn't goof off or not pay attention like she usually would. Instead, she was completely focused on everything that was taught. She was even awake the whole time during Port's lessons!

What was even more concerning was the fact that she hadn't spoken to them at all.

Now at the lunch table, where everyone was seated as normal and team NPR was looking on in worry to the side, Ruby was staring at the empty space in front of her... the spot where an awkward blond man would usually chat with her. Everyone else was eating, or as normal as they could as they had noticed Ruby was acting differently. Ruby had her plate of cookies and milk like she usually has but when she ate, she would eat slowly and in small amounts. She was also not brimming with happiness when she takes a bite that even Nora grew silent as she played with her food at Ruby's change. Team NPR turned to the rest of Ruby's team with a looking asking what was going on. In response, they shook their heads and told them they didn't know.

The atmosphere was near suffocating that Yang couldn't take it any longer. Yang decided to ask her a question, concerning her behavior since she was seated next to her.

"Hey, uh, Rubes," Ruby didn't seem to hear her and so didn't respond. She tried again. "Hey, Ruby, you there?"

Again, no response. Yang had enough and shook her shoulder to get her attention. It worked as Ruby snapped from whatever daze she was on.

"What is it, Yang?" Ruby's voice was a plain monotone like before. Everyone was concerned, as she wasn't usually like this.

"Well... uh, well I wanted to know if you were okay? You've been acting weird since this morning and it is kind of worrying us."

"Nothing's wrong," A lie yet Ruby didn't say anymore and went back to quietly eating. There was a look in her eyes that made Yang look on in slight frustration. She tried pushing the issue to get a better response from her.

"Ruby, you are not alright and you know it. Tell us what's wrong so that we can help," Ruby stopped eating and dropped her cookie. It was an obvious sign and nobody said a word. She turned to Yang, looking miffed.

"Nothing's wrong, Yang. And I would appreciate it if you would stop asking me about it." Her tone was angry yet lacked the enthusiasm of a sister annoyed by her pestering sibling. "I'm okay, and that should be enough. Now, be a good sister and kindly leave me alone so I can eat."

Ruby was never one to elaborate much on her words. But when she does people find themselves surprised that the young reaper can, in fact, be pointedly annoyed. Yang sat there stunned by what Ruby said. She returned to her food and said nothing, clearly, she was a bit shaken by her words. Ruby, for her part, silently continued eating while occasionally looking at the empty spot in front of her. She still looked upset.

"I've lost my appetite," She declared as she stood from her seat, her plate of cookies and glass of milk forgotten. "I am going for a walk," Was all she said as she left them in her seats and walked away.

As she was about to head for the exit, to her left she saw Velvet. She was holding two trays of food and this time Ruby knew she was heading to where _he_ is.

 _At least you get to see him._

 _ **Velvet**_

Exiting the cafeteria with two trays in hand isn't a hard thing to do. She hummed to herself as she began heading towards Glynda and Jaune's shared room.

 _Training has been going good so far and his studies have bumped up a bit. It's strange that he didn't text me this morning though. Hmm, maybe Miss Goodwitch pushed him again last night? Well, it's not like its important since I can just ask him about yesterday's progress._

Velvet continued to head towards her destination as she slowly started thinking of the time she spent with him. If someone were to look closely at her face, they would clearly see a very bright blush painting her cheeks. They were good friends, Velvet and Jaune, before the betrayal but haven't talked to each other as often since he spent most of his time with Team RWBY and his own team. That changed, however, when fate decided to screw him over. It was a like a tide, with Jaune cast adrift in the sea of hatred that is trying to drown him in pain and sorrow for his revealed transcripts.

Velvet's recollection of this terrible event brought anger clear in her features. Jaune, to her at least, was never a bad guy. He didn't deserve what happened to him. She knew his dreams and aspirations. He wanted to become a hero who protects people. He doesn't want to be judged by his intentions and actions but it instead led him to nearly killing himself.

 _They were his friends and spent more time with him than she ever did. In a way, I envied them. But now, I pity them. They let him go because he was weak... that he didn't deserve to be one of us. He gave them everything. His kindness, his friendship... and they just threw it all away. In a heartbeat. When his secrets were revealed._

 _They must've never truly have been his friends..._

 _If they left him to himself so quickly._

"Hey! Velvet!"

Velvet stopped in her tracks and brought out of her thoughts by someone calling out to her. She turned and her frown turned into a smile as her friend and teammate, Coco, joined her.

 _Shoot! It just had to be her that sees me around here! I can't let her know where I am going!_

Coco was one of Velvet's best friends beside Jaune. When his transcripts were revealed to the school, at first, she wanted to know why since she didn't know anything about Jaune until recently. All she knew was that she was a good friend to her. She would talk about how much fun spending time around him was and that he was generally, a great guy. Overall to Coco, Jaune sounded like a nice guy so she wanted to know why he would do what he did. Sadly, she never had the chance to ask since almost the entire student body was shunning him. That, and he was working around to try and evade everyone, which included Velvet.

She heard rumors about how his friends have dumped him when they found out. After which, they became his biggest bullies. Now, if you asked Coco how she felt about it, she would first like to learn their reasons. Until then, the only things she thought about them is that their jerks for what they did to him.

"Uh, hey Coco," She called to her nervously. "What are you doing here?" With her quick reflexes, Velvet tried to hide the two lunch trays she was holding behind her. And was utterly failing as a result if the slight smirk in Coco's face was any indication.

"I've been doing some last-minute training. Came to grab lunch but saw you. What are you doing with two trays by the way?"

"I was... uh, extra hungry!" Velvet declared, much to her embarrassment. "So I asked for an extra tray and a set of food. I wanted to eat in peace so I decided to eat in the courtyard."

Coco didn't buy the reason for the two trays. She did, however, understand why she wanted to eat at the courtyard. Being a Faunus isn't easy even if you are studying in Beacon.

"Okay... that makes sense. Except, the way to the courtyard is like in the opposite direction you know? Definitely not the place where you are heading,"

"Um... uh..."

As Velvet was stuttering and trying to come up with an excuse, Coco took a deep breath and sighed. She moved closer to Velvet and gave the Faunus a hug. Once she let go, she placed both of her hands on Velvet's shoulders. Her grip was strong as she lowered her sunglasses and looked Velvet directly in the eyes.

"Look, Velvet, I know that you've been spending a lot of time alone. And I don't know why. But, if it has anything to do with Jaune and how he mysteriously vanished from the face of Beacon... then you know you can talk to me, right?"

"Uh..."

"I just want to let you know, since the others are beginning to worry. That and I've been missing my best friend," With that done, Coco let her go and began walking away. It took a few minutes but Velvet managed to take deep breaths and calm herself down. But the guilty feeling in her chest said otherwise. She didn't like keeping secrets to her team but at the same time, she couldn't leave the blond knight alone.

 _I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to help Jaune._

 _But... it still doesn't make it any easier lying to them._

She looked back to where Coco disappeared before continuing heading her way back to her destination.

 _I can't worry about that right now though. I still need to give Jaune his lunch._

With her mind made she continued walking towards Glynda's room to see Jaune. It was a safe venture, with no one really stopping her and no bullies to deter her as she got there. She placed one tray on top of the other carefully before knocking. Nobody answered. She tried again and still no response. _Jaune must be sleeping in._ It was no surprise to her as Jaune usually tends to sleep after an intense bout of training. So, she used her scroll to get in. Glynda gave her scroll access so she could enter and visit Jaune whenever something like this happens. Skipping lunch, or in his case breakfast, isn't something they were keen on him skipping.

Opening the door, there was still no response. This prompted her to get inside and look around. Her ears perked up when she heard a noise to her right.

"Get... away..."

Upon looking at the source, she saw a terrible sight. Jaune was in the corner of the room, curled into a ball, with tears leaking from his eyes.

 _ **Somewhere...**_

"I don't like this," A voice said somewhere in Beacon. "Look at Ruby, she is barely hanging on from the stress..."

"I don't think we can do anything to help," Another replied. "Jaune seemed to have found her, or in this case, she has found him."

"I know, it isn't that hard to locate him once you have the time. I mean, have you seen the routine the three of them are using?"

"I think it is a good thing. The three of them have made time to both studies, teach, and train just for Jaune. If anything, I am almost proud of him."

"Really? I guess we can be. _Fearless Leader_ has come a long way."

"Is it enough to forgive him though? If anything, _we_ can forgive him. The others just... aren't so accepting."

"Nothing we can do until Jaune decides to show himself again. Hopefully, it will be soon. I really miss having him on our side. I don't really care that he faked his way in or that he is pretty much a civilian. It just makes his title as fearless that much more defining."

"I am not arguing that. When the time comes, I will support him. If we can have Ruby and Jaune talk it out, then things can go back to normal... or as normal as we can be even if divided."

"Speaking off, did we ever find out why Pyrrha seemingly just... outed him?"

"No... and she refuses to talk about it... or Jaune,"

"Guess it can't be helped. We'll have to wait for a miracle to happen."

"Have you heard anything from _them_?"

"No, though last I heard they were in Vacuo."

"You think they'll come?"

"They better! We haven't seen them in months!"

"Okay. Hopefully, things will calm down before then."

 **Beta Corner:**

 **If you have received this soon. Then it came out during my Birthday. Happy birthday to me. So here is my gift to you all. That and all the revisions I made to all the previous chapters.**

 **It took a while but I managed to do it all. There is a bit of retconning in a few of them. But, I did that to give other characters more defining moments. Can't have Jaune hog all the spotlight. This chapter is not something I really put my all in editing. There isn't much to work on and I just went ahead with what the author wants. The last bit is something I added because I think they needed screen time. Till then,**

 **Alewar Warinot.**

 **Cur Sombre**

 **Hey everyone sorry for being gone so long and taking forever to update but I was in the hospital for a while and was being treated for about 4 weeks and wasn't allowed to have my phone or technology so I couldn't update or anything but that's no excuse. Anyways good news is that all the chapters have been revised and updated and should hopefully not take as long to get the next chapter up. Go ahead and review or leave me PMs, I love hearing your thoughts and questions.**

 **Ok, Bye!**


	10. A Memory Forgotten and New Danger

**Morning**

It was early morning when Glynda found herself taking the elevator to Ozpin's office. Last night... was eye-opening to her. She got dressed as soon as her eyes opened and headed to see Ozpin talk about Jaune's condition and what happened last night. A serious case since Huntsmen having PTSD spells doom to said huntsmen. The only fortunate thing she can count as a blessing is that Jaune manifested such symptoms early and they can try and get the young knight much-needed therapy.

Jaune was left alone, fast asleep as she fixed his blanket that fell off when he was obviously having a nightmare by the way his body kept twisting in discomfort. She only hoped that they can get him help soon. It wasn't easy seeing such an aspiring student in so much pain. It wasn't anything new to her, but witnessing them fall to depression wasn't something she can get used to. It made her sometimes think of Qrow and he is a full can of worms that she would rather not think about at the moment.

Jaune took priority as he is young and under the guiding hand of their prestigious academy. Experiencing emotional trauma builds character... but being close to taking their own life may not even be close to character building in his case as he falls into depressing moods when he thinks of his former friends.

Glynda had a calming facade masking her storming emotions as her heartbeat against her chest. She took a breath as the elevator stopped and opened its doors. She stepped out and found the Headmaster doing some paperwork and drinking his morning coffee; she stepped closer to his desk to address him.

"Glynda? What a surprise to see you this early. I can only presume there is something of grave importance that acquires my attention if you personally come to my office without even fixing your hair properly." Glynda hid her blush well, or so she hoped, as she answered Ozpin.

"Ozpin, it is Jaune. Last night, he had an episode. He was hyperventilating and crying terribly when I found him."

Ozpin was silent as he looked at his mug. He put down his papers and took a long swig of his coffee as he addressed Glynda once again.

"That is something I was hoping not to come to pass... I assume that this somehow involves team RWBY in some way? Or was it NPR?"

"RWBY and I suspect that it involves Ruby specifically," With that, Glynda explained what transpired last night. Nothing was hidden and she brought out possible reasons why Jaune's symptoms were triggered that day. Glynda remained professional in her stance... but it was clear to both of them that she was in distress. Glynda was just as emotionally invested as her students as she was logically invested in them. They are mostly under her care, after all.

Ozpin had to stop her as he handed her a box of tissues so that she can wipe away the tears that betrayed her calm facade in front of their Headmaster.

"That is troubling... PTSD, at such a young age? And people say we are living at a time of peace,"

"Yes, he showed symptoms of someone affected by PTSD. He tried to hide it from time to time with our training, but sometimes he would get lost in his thoughts and is replaced with a dull hue in his eyes. He would sometimes wince on odd occasions while sparring with Velvet and this caused him to lose the spars more often. It really isn't fair Ozpin, that someone so kindhearted and innocent is dealing with such terrible pain so early in his life..."

Ozpin gave one intense look of contemplation with what he just heard. He stood up and looked out the window towards the direction of the city of Vale. His gaze was hardened but melancholic as what felt like an eternity passed and the man before Glynda aged rapidly before turning back to face her. She was met with a gaze burning with unbridled determination.

"I believe it is time that we take action, Glynda."

Glynda nodded, they had a protocol for when a student fell under the PTSD category. "I shall prepare Professor Oobleck to receive therapy and-"

"No."

Glynda blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" Glynda said with a look of confusion.

"It means that I may have to take even further measures to make sure that he gets properly trained. Glynda, there are still the extra rooms correct?"

..

Glynda's eyes widened at what Ozpin just suggested and she badly wanted to rebuke him. She stopped, however, as she realized that this might force Jaune to leave Beacon if he is found unfit for active Huntsmen duty. Also, if he managed to still remain here then he will inevitably cross paths with his greatest fear making things worse for Jaune. Considering his fragile state of mind, it will only take one push for him to try and commit suicide once again, something they are trying to avoid as much as possible. He still needed to train under her for another two months and a half as his next teacher will come and be tasked with teaching him by then.

"Ozpin, I'm not sure this is a good idea. Jaune is under a delicate state of mind. Worse comes to worst, Beacon will become the headline of Vale News to a suicide of a young Huntsmen-in-training and we both know we don't need more bad press on us.

"I understand, but, I only wish to go forward with this. By the end of his first month, we can give him time to prepare and adjust. He has been training for two weeks now, yes? Then in two more weeks, we can have him move to a more secluded section of the school where he can continue to train in peace."

She ran their options in her head and gazed away in worry and obvious fear. It wasn't the best course of action they can take but Jaune wanted to stay in Beacon and getting therapy mandated that he goes to evaluation for clearance if he is of sound mind and body right after.

"Very well, Headmaster, I will do this. But, I wish to still have him receive some therapy for his troubles that we could not fight on our own. And for your sake, I hope you are right about his because if he gets worse... then I'll toss you from out of this tower to the Emerald Forest with my Semblance with full force." Glynda threatened as he aura glowed and everything within sixty feet of her glowed and lifted up a few feet before returning to their rightful place. "I'll go tell Jaune now."

She moved to leave but Ozpin stopped her.

"Glynda, there is something else that I must tell you. I am afraid it cannot wait. This may also involve our young Arc seeing as the situation "down there" may correlate with his."

"There? You mean her right? What does she have to do with our situation? There haven't been any changes to her state as of yet."

"Well, it may very well be related and that is the reason I wish to discuss this with you right now. It may affect Jaune greatly in the future as well." He reasoned as he went to the point. "Remember when he told us that as he began to cut himself, his aura would heal him?"

"Yes... he did say that,"

"Remember that he told us that after some time, his aura began to work less and less as time passes and soon it wouldn't heal his cuts anymore? Well, I've done some digging and a bit of research and I believe that the repercussions of what he did are far graver then we could have anticipated. Come, take a look at this graph."

Glynda looked at the graph and she paled. What Ozpin showed on his scroll was Jaune's aura meter. Nothing seemed wrong at first glance until she began to look further and found that Jaune's aura wasn't recovering from the loses it made last night. Even more shocking was the fact that his aura meter was getting slightly weaker.

"What...? What is this!? Why is his aura getting weaker!? It shouldn't even be doing this!"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is more I am afraid. I told you that this is connected to Amber, yes? Well, as you can recall Amber's aura seemed to stop working and was unable to heal her despite weeks of being inside that pod and the technology that James provided to keep her alive. Well, before that we noticed that her aura was decreasing at an alarming rate, even more so was the fact that it wasn't working overtime to heal her closed wounds after it closed."

He explained and it didn't take long for Glynda to come to her own conclusions.

"You think Jaune may die."

 **Velvet (Afternoon)**

If her feelings could be described with one word at this very moment then it would be "horrified". What she was staring at right now was a cowering and terrified Jaune who was crying and screaming uncontrollably as his arms curled into himself as if trying to protect himself from an unknown assailant.

"Pl-please d-do-don't hurt me!"

His voice sounded small and fragile, like a five-year-old child cowering in fear of something that caused them to act like that. She placed both trays on the counter and immediately closed the door behind her. She didn't want anyone seeing him like this.

"J-Jaune...?" She tried to call but it seemed he didn't hear her. "It's me, Velvet, your friendly rabbit Faunus friend. I am not going to hurt you..."

She tried getting close to him but it only made him move further into the corner he was in and tensed up.

Jaune... what happened to you? It was only yesterday you were all bright smiles and full of joy. Who did this to you? No, no. That doesn't matter right now. What matters is to get him out of that dark corner of fear he is stuck in and the pain he is causing himself. I need to find a way to get close to him without causing any more pain. Wait! He told me once about a song his grandfather sang for him to help him cope with the pain when he was a child. He didn't give me the lyrics but he was kind enough to send me an instrumental version to my scroll!

The thing was while Jaune was growing up and because of all the ridicule he faced outside of his home, he would spent most of his time learning and playing musical instruments and messing around with music editing programs. It was a way for him to cope with the pain and for him to stop cutting himself and from the years of playing he became proficient with almost every instrument known to man. From the humble harmonica to the traditional zither.

Velvet looked through her scroll and found it in one of her personal files. As she maxed out the volume on her scroll and pressed play on the video a sound could be heard coming from it. The sound that played was the most beautiful violin piece she has ever heard. It was immersive and the notes plucked at her heartstrings as it played. Every time she heard it play, she felt so at peace that she listened to it almost every day. She was so happy that Jaune made it just for her even though the music played the same melodious tones it didn't change the fact that it was amazing.

Velvet soon noticed that Jaune stopped thrashing and screaming. His trembling lessened and his hoarse voice became short murmurs as his tears dried up. His arms lowered themselves to his sides and he started to look around confused as he mumbled to himself.

She couldn't hear him since the song was playing so all she could see was that his lips seemed to be moving along with the song.

As the video came to an end, Jaune had stopped trembling and was slowly moving out of his position and started speaking.

"Velvet? What are you doing here?" Even though Jaune seemed better he still looked frail like one loud noise would make him shatter if startled again.

"Jaune... what happened to you? Why were you on the ground trembling and saying for me not to hit you?" She asked calmly and trying not to agitate him.

"Oh...?" He asked confused before he became silent. "Is that why I was on the ground?"

Velvet looked at him with disbelief.

"Yes Jaune and stop avoiding the question! Please... please just tell me why you ended up like that... so that I can help..." She looked at him sadly as she trembled with obvious frustration. It scared her, seeing Jaune so vulnerable and scared. And Jaune acting like nothing happened only made her frustrated. Jaune saw this and he felt himself doubt whether he should tell him or not. In the end, he walked over to her bed and motioned for her to sit next to him.

Velvet did and as soon as he got comfortable she told her everything. Of his encounter with Ruby and his subsequent breakdown in front of Glynda... and his troubled past.

"I... I think I have post-traumatic stress... or so Miss Glynda told me," The memory of the bullying and the subsequent abandonment was still fresh in their minds. It led to him cutting himself and then his failed suicide... his tipping point...

During his entire explanation, Velvet's eyes turned from anger to pain, and then to fear. At the end of it, she looked down towards the ground as her hands, which were placed on her lap, trembled. Whether if it was fury or fear, he wasn't sure and he didn't point it out. It was after he finished that the door slowly opened and revealed an unexpected guest to their private moment together which caused Velvet to jump up in surprise.

"C-Coco?!"

Coco

When she first passed by Velvet and spoke to her in the hall, she was planning to leave her be... but a feeling at the depths of her get kept bugging her to go and follow her Faunus teammate. When she did, imagine her surprise that her best friend enters Miss Goodwitch's room. At first, scandalous thoughts pervaded her mind but something else happened that made her stop such thoughts.

It was the sound of a child crying in agony.

When she was about to move closer to see what was going on, Velvet closed the door behind her. Regardless of what was obviously a private affair, she got closer and stuck her ear at that door. What surprised her was that the door opened slightly and she could now see what is going on inside. What she saw caused her to muffle her mouth in surprise.

J-Jaune Arc!

She watched as Jaune made those childish wails inside of the room. As time passed, she saw how Velvet calmed him down with some music from her scroll. When he finally returned to normal... or what she perceived as normal, Velvet demanded to know what was going on and Jaune obliged. He told her everything and Coco felt dirty hearing such an intimate secret being shared with Velvet and was meant only for her to hear.

He leads a really hard life of ridicule and despair... the fact that he is alive right now and not dead from his suicide attempt was nothing short of a miracle.

She could sympathize. She had dealt with relatives who committed suicide. It was always the quiet ones who acted nice that really get to her. The memory of her own dead relatives caused her to tear up slightly. As he finished his explanation, she came to a decision. She got up, wiped her eyes clean beneath her sunglasses and slowly, yet confidently, open the door and walk inside.

The two were shocked to see her.

"C-Coco?!"

The two stared at her stunned. No one said a word as the two contemplated who should speak first. Coco decided to grab a spare chair in the kitchen as she waits for them to make up their minds. It took a while, but Velvet decided to be the first one to talk.

"Coco, what are you doing here?" She asked as she had a pretty good idea as to why Coco was here with them but asked to make sure. Jaune, however, was both confused and worried. She knew who Coco was, hard not to when she carries a machine gun handbag, but he never did meet her during his time as an outcast.

There was a tense silence as Coco remained silent. Velvet got impatient and asked again, this time she did so assertively.

"Coco, what are you doing here? How did you find out where I was? Did you follow me all the way here?" Still, Coco did not respond and by this point, Velvet was getting nervous because she feared that Coco might take her away from Jaune because she wouldn't approve of her being with him. "Coco if the reason you're not talking is that you're angry at me then please leave Jaune out of this and just be mad at me. Just please don't make me leave him alone." Velvet was beginning to tear up as she was truly fearful of what might happen now. That was until she heard Coco finally say something.

"I'm so sorry"

That confused her but that changed when she looked at Coco and saw her remove her sunglasses. She was looking at Jaune with sympathy.

"I'm so, so sorry" Jaune was stunned for this was the first time someone apologized to him. "I heard your... talk. I followed Velvet here and I followed her because I became worried. I... I heard everything... I am so sorry, that you had to live through all of this here... please forgive me."

"Coco! How could you follow me and eavesdrop on our talk!? You weren't supposed to! Now you listened to somebody else's life story without their consent. That's a grievous violation of privacy! How could you do this?" Velvet asked seething with anger. Not only did her best friend stalked her, but she also listened in on Jaune's story as he told her of her problems and then his childhood.

Coco, for her part, looked at them with wide fearful eyes and slowly they morphed into shame as she hanged her head. Velvet was about to give her partner a piece of her mind but Jaune stopped her.

"Velvet, it is fine. She just wanted to make sure you were alright. Yes, she did go behind your back and followed you but she did it for the right reasons. Besides, no one was hurt."

Velvet wanted to yell at Coco but bit her tongue, she then tried to at least punish her leader.

"But she also eavesdropped in on our conversation and-"

"I know she did. But, from the looks of it, she appears to genuinely be sorry about it and if that's true then there's no reason to remain angry at her for a small thing like this. Besides it's the least painful thing anyone has done to me as of the late." Jaune gave a somber smile as he at least thinks this wasn't too bad a crime against him. Velvet looked back at him a bit guilty but her gaze turned to glare at Coco. Her gaze told the beret-wearing huntress that this wasn't over.

"Okay, now that that's been dealt with, I want to ask why you're here?" Jaune asked as everything that had just happened diverted from the one thing he wanted to know. "I followed Velvet here because something in my gut was telling me that I should. Now I don't know if that was a good idea seeing as how I know your entire post without your approval.

"That's fine but now that you know what Velvet's been doing are you going to stop her?" with concern evident in his voice. This also scared Velvet because she was still afraid of that still being a possibility and the last thing, she wanted was to fight her partner to help Jaune. What was next was even more surprising though.

"On the contrary, I was hoping that you would let me join you guys with helping you train." The stunned faces were something that Coco had immediately expected which is why she gave her reasoning directly afterward. "I know that to everyone in Beacon I seem like nothing more than a heartbreaker and a cold diva but as Velvet knows I care very deeply about things like my team and family and your situation is something I can't simply ignore so that's why I want to help you."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Coco wanted to help him train to become a better huntsman and wasn't even angry that Velvet was lying and going behind her back initially to help him. "I-I don't know what to say. I'm not against it but we would have to talk with Miss Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin before we c-" "Wait for a second! Professor Ozpin is also in on this, I mean I kind of expected that seeing as how you're living with Miss Goodwitch but still."

"Yeah I can still hardly believe they have so much faith in me but we still have one person before them." With that Jaune turned and looked at Velvet as Coco also turned her face towards her as Velvet remained silent with a downcast look. "Velvet please let me help. I'm sorry for following you but please let me do this so I can show you I'm sorry." pleaded Coco. Still, no response until Jaune placed one hand on her thigh which caused her to look up at him. "Velvet it sounds like she wants to help so why not let her." A small smile came to his face as she looked at him which caused her to smile as well. She then turned towards Coco losing the smile but then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she reopens her eyes, she looks at Coco with a small smile.

"I would love it if my partner would join us." With that Coco jumps up from her seat towards Velvet causing them both to land on their backs on the bed. As that happened laughter could be heard while Jaune smiled looking at them. After a couple of seconds, they both rose up with smiles on their faces. "Ok well now that I'm you're both good with me joining you guys, I have a suggestion."

"What's that?" Jaune asked while kind of surprised that she wanted to do something for him even though she just agreed to help him. "I know that this might be a bit forward and regarding your past Jaune but what I'm a thing is that we get you a firearm." "WAIT for WHAT?!" Velvet shouted.

"Look hear me out, I'm not going be able to help much since I primarily focus on firearms since my weapon is a minigun. So, without a firearm, I won't be able to help and teach much. Besides, I know that you only use a sword and shield and could use more variety in your arsenal." Coco explained. Her logic was sound but there was still a lot of hesitation for that since Jaune should stay away from such things with his current mindset.

While Jaune had a contemplative look since he saw the value in the points Coco was making Velvet looked towards him with a surprised look. "You-You're not actually considering this Jaune!? You nearly killed yourself with your sword and not even more than half an hour has passed since you were on the ground in a broken state!"

"Velvet I understand what you're saying but there is truth in what she says. Besides, if I want to become stronger, I'm going to have to push myself and with the trauma, I'm dealing with right now I'm going to have to push myself even harder to get past it. This is just another thing that I'm going to have to get past just like I did with Crocea Mors." That was true. When Jaune first started his training, he had to get past his fear of wielding it again after everything he used it for. It was a slow process in the beginning but he was slowly able to get past it and was even able to full-on wield it once again.

Still, Velvet had the fear clear in her eyes as she listened to what he said. She was about to remark about how it was still a bad idea until Coco once again spoke. "Wait, what if we only give him a basic gun to start with and start him off with blanks before moving onto actual bullets that way, he can slowly get comfortable with it. Plus, I can hold onto it unless were training that way he has no access to it when he's by himself. Besides Fox and Yatsu won't bat an eye at me having another gun." As the others listened, they couldn't help but be surprised at her thinking of something like that on the fly.

Velvet remained stubborn with her decision but then Jaune spoke again. "Velvet, please." She couldn't say deny him no matter how much she wanted to when he made that desperate look on his face so she finally relented. "Fine but we stick with what you said to the letter. We aren't changing it at all until Jaune is finally past his trauma." "YES! Thank you, Velvet! Don't worry I won't let him near it unless we let him or else, I'll kick him in the balls!"

Wait for What! Jaune mentally screamed. "Ok good but let's leave kicking him umm down there as a last resort. Well, what do we do now?" Velvet said with worry in her voice. "Now? Now we go out and get it!" Coco said with a smirk on her face. "Besides I don't know about you Velvet but Jaune seriously needs an outfit change from his traditional hoodie with a smiling bunny on it. No offense but it would be a sin for me to not take the chance at making you look better."

"Wait you want to go right now?" Jaune asked stunned she was so quick to start training him even though the part about his hoodie could have sounded a bit less offensive. Besides, it's not like it mattered no since Ruby tore it off with her scythe. That was hard to get since I had to go through fifty boxes of that cereal. Plus, I had so many great memories while wearing it.

"Yeah, besides this will be great for you to get some fresh air from this place. And even better you can also get some food different than the food from here because let's be real for a minute the food here is ok but not as good as the food in Vale."

That is true- Wait am I seriously thinking about doing this? "Hold on Coco, I won't deny that that sounds nice but we can't just leave especially without telling Miss Goodwitch. And besides, don't the people of Vale know about what I did and know what I look like?"

"Actually no because of the fact that Ozpin and the Council don't necessarily like the idea of Beacon's personal network being open to the public since even by a small margin that someone could possibly hack it. That's why the CCT Tower is so important and is on Beacon's territory because it is a direct way to access everything towards Beacon's network." Coco explained surprising Jaune. Looks like there's still a lot I don't know.

"But then what about the students? Wouldn't they talk about to the public whenever they leave the campus? Doesn't that mean I would still be in danger of people giving me the same treatment."

"Again no because of the fact that no pictures of your face have been put up since Ozpin strictly forbid it since it would be against the law of disclosing anybody else's information or appearance without consent of the said person. The only thing the public could possibly have on you is your name which we can just lie about."

"But then what about Miss Goodwitch, won't she be mad if we just left without telling her?"

"We can just leave her a message saying that we were taking you out for some fresh air."

Man, she's pretty much thought of everything. I wonder if this is how my sisters felt whenever I made a comeback against them when I wanted something. But wait how does Velvet feel about this?

"What do you think about Velvet?" Jaune questioned. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I think this could be a good idea for you since you haven't had any outside interactions with anyone and maybe this could also help you get rid of some stress." Velvet replied.

"Well that settles that now hurry up and get dressed so we can go, we're burning daylight!" Coco exclaimed.

"Alright just give me a second to put on some of my spares clothe," Jaune said. They then exited the room so he could have privacy but didn't notice the turmoil going on inside of him he changed. Okay-Okay just stays calm. Were just going to the city to hang out. Besides they did say that I wouldn't be noticed. Plus Velvet did say that this would be a good way to push myself even though I'm still questioning whether or not this is a good idea.

After Jaune got done changing into a plain black shirt with blue jeans and his sneakers he sent a message to Glynda telling her that he was alright from last night and was going out to the city with Coco and Velvet while leaving an explanation as to Coco wanting to join. After stepping out he saw Coco and Velvet standing in the hallway.

"Good now let's hurry and leave while everyone should be in class so we shouldn't be seen," Coco said.

 **Vale**

After a short bullhead ride with a bit of comforting from Velvet towards Jaune to help him with his motion sickness, they were in Vale headed towards a weapons shop Coco knew and liked since that's where she goes to get everything for her weapon. From the looks of it, Coco was right about what she said. No one has even batted an eye towards me. At least I've been feeling good so far.

After a short walk, they finally made it to the shop where they looked over the multiple different guns for different uses. Coco explained that since Jaune was going to be using it as a starter firearm before anything more complicated like Ruby's Crescent Rose. She reasoned that it would be a good idea to go for a thicker firearm since he was used to holding a sword that had a thick grip on it so the transition should be quite easy. The second thing was for the number of rounds in the firearm and since he was going to be using it for combat that he should get something with a double stack.

So far Jaune was trying his best to keep up but with so much, he didn't know and even more being thrown at him he was starting to get really confused. After a lot of time and a lot of experimenting, they finally found what seemed to be the perfect starter gun for him which was the M&P 2.0. So, they decided to take to the targets that the building had so they could make their final decision.

He started out slow since it was his first time so she started with the grip and then led to how to reload and aim. She explained that this was important since this determined how they would start training him in how to slowly teaching him how to use it in combat. After all the basics they got some blanks and tried to get him to fire it but Jaune was still tense about trying so Coco placed her hands over his to try and get him to loosen up which helped and then he fired. He was immediately surprised and was about to freak out before Coco surprised him by covering his eyes.

"Calm down, it's ok that was a good try but before you try again, I want you to try and take a deep breath before you fire." With that, she removed her hands from his eyes and he did what she said and fired again. He was still surprised but fared better this time than before. After a little while longer they decided that this would be a good starter. Buying the firearm along with some blanks and holster. They saw that two hours had passed since they left so they decided to get something to eat before they went to go buy Jaune new clothes.

After having eaten, something which Jaune was grateful for since the food was great compared to the cafeteria food. Coco then led them towards her favorite clothing store. It felt like an eternity since she was thinking about all the different clothes for him but kept on changing it that way until she finally pushed some clothes towards him that she thought would look good on him. Going through all of them with no's from both of them until Coco went back towards looking for some more clothes to try on.

Jaune feeling a bit tired decided to try his luck at finding something until he bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry about that I wasn't looking." The person he bumped into was a girl with short black hair with pale green eyes and red makeup around her eyes. She was wearing a strapless red dress with long red boots with high heels. She turned towards him "Can you please watch where you're going-" she said until her eyes went wide when she saw him. This confused Jaune so he decided to ask why she was staring at him. "Umm, is there something wrong because I'm sorry about bumping into you." She continued to stare at him until she slowly opened her mouth and spoke.

"Jaune is that you?"

"Umm, I'm sorry but do I know you?" This caused her to blink a bit.

"Wait you don't remember me?"

"No, I'm sorry but could you tell me your name because maybe that will help me remember who you are."

"Y-You seriously don't remember me?" "Umm, no."

This caused her to clench her fist then it started to shake. This caused Jaune to take a step back since he knew the signs of when someone was probably about to hit him.

"You-You-YOU BLONDE IDIOT! IT'S ME MILITIA!" she shouted in front of him while raising her fist towards him catching the attention of Coco and Velvet who rushed towards his side. "Hey! What's going on here?! Coco said.

"How about you get out of my way and mind your own business instead so I can hit this idiot!"

"Yeah well that idiot you're about to hit is my friend!" As there was a continued shouting match between the two Velvet pulled Jaune away so she could check up on him and make sure he was alright. "Hey, are you alright? Who was that and why did she want to hit you? There was no response from him. "Jaune are you listening?" She was about to ask him again but heard him say something.

"Militia, Militia. Darn it where have I heard that name?" As Jaune's mind boggled for answers the shouting started to get worse that people outside were starting to notice. So, Velvet left to try and defuse the situation since she wasn't getting anywhere with Jaune. Left on his own Jaune continued to wrangle through his mind until he heard something that made him pause.

"Melanie get over here and help me with getting rid of these two!" Just then another girl who looked exactly like Militia except that she was in a white dress and long hair compared. Wait for Militia and Melanie, I know I've heard those names before. Twins that wear red and white and are named Militia and Melanie … COME ON why can't I remember ... WAIT I REMEMBER! With that Jaune sprinted to where the girls were in a standoff about to fight until Jaune rushed in and their faces turned towards him.

"Wait for Jaune?!" Melanie yelled.

"Militia and Melanie your last name is Malachite, right?!"

"Wait what do you mean right? Did you forget us?!"

"Wait to hold on time out! Jaune how do you know these two?" Coco asked.

"I know them because they are my old friends from when I was a kid."

"Wait for friends? Then why was she about to hit you?" Velvet said pointing towards Militia.

"Because this jerk promised that he would remember us when we see each other again." said with tears coming from her eyes. Jaune saw this and felt horrible for breaking his promise so he did the one thing he could to try and help her. Slowly he began approaching her even though she took a step back. "Stay away from me!" Still, Jaune moved closer towards her until he was standing directly in front of her and then surprised her by wrapping his arms around her. "Let go of me." Still, he held strong against her as she struggled against him until she slowly stopped fighting and then wrapped her arms around him while crying.

"I'm sorry for forgetting you. I know I can't change that but please know that I'm so sorry." Jaune said to her. He then turned towards Melanie and held an arm out seeing as how she was in a similar emotional state. She joined him instantly and he embraced them both as they cried into his shoulders.


End file.
